Luis Severino Making His Sacramento Debut vs Chicago

Today, A's ace Luis Severino will make his Sacramento debut against the Chicago Cubs.

Mar 27, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Tonight at 7:05pm PT, the Athletics take on the Chicago Cubs for Game 2 of the first series in Sacramento, California. After a disappointing 18-3 loss in the series opener, the A's are looking to rebound with their ace Luis Severino taking the bump.

After great starts by Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Osvaldo Bido, and JP Sears, A's fifth starter Joey Estes put together a lackluster start going four innings and allowing six earned runs. Estes' velocity was down about two miles per hour all night and it lead to the right-hander giving up three home runs.

Severino's last start was on Opening Day in Seattle, where he tossed six innings and allowed just three hits, no runs, and punched out six Mariners hitters. The A's bullpen struggled to hold onto the slim lead, which led the A's to lose.

In his first start, Severino ended up using 99 pitches to get through his six innings, so his pitch count likely won't increase much, if at all. In order to go a little deeper into the game, he'd need to get a few more quick outs. That said, the A's bullpen is still fairly rested, with Mason Miller, Tyler Ferguson, Justin Sterner, and new addition Angel Perdomo not pitching in the blowout.

Conversely, the Cubs didn't use many pitchers at all, with starter Ben Brown going the first five innings, followed by Julian Merryweather and Colin Rea.

It's worth noting that nobody on the Cubs has a career average over .200 (minimum 5 at-bats) against Luis Severino. In terms of A's hitters facing Justin Steele, Brent Rooker is currently 2-for-2 in his career against him.

With Justin Steele coming off a pair of rough outings, and Severino coming off an incredible start, it could give the A's an edge in tonight's pitching matchup at Sutter Health Park.