Luis Severino seeks a top-flight effort against his former club on Friday night when the Athletics host the New York Yankees at West Sacramento, Calif.

Severino was employed by the Yankees from 2015-23, and the right-hander has been treated rudely by his former teammates in three starts. He is 0-2 with a 10.66 ERA and has been torched for 17 runs (15 earned) and 18 hits in just 12 2/3 innings.

The best of those outings was in the Bronx on April 8 of this year, when he gave up two runs and four hits over five innings in a no-decision of a game the A’s won 3-2. He struck out seven and tied a season high with five walks.

Both his 2025 starts against the Yankees were disasters. He gave up eight runs and nine hits over four-plus innings of a 12-2 loss on May 11 in Northern California and allowed seven runs (five earned) and five hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 12-5 loss in New York on June 29.

In the latter game, Severino allowed homers to Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Chisholm is 5-for-11 with two homers and Judge is 4-for-8 with the one blast against Severino.

Severino, 32, will be well-rested for this latest battle as his start was pushed back three days. He was slated to pitch Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, but the Athletics called up prized prospect Gage Jump and then moved up Jeffrey Springs to Wednesday.

The Athletics were off Thursday after being swept in three games by the Mariners and falling out of first place in the American League West.

Severino (2-5, 4.23 ERA) will be looking to halt a four-game winless stretch when he takes the ball Friday.

Severino struck out a season-high 10 and didn’t walk anyone against the Los Angeles Angels on May 21 but had to settle for a no-decision in the Athletics’ 3-2, 10-inning win. He gave up two runs and three hits over seven innings.

Severino lost three straight outings before the stellar work against the Angels.

The Athletics took two of three in New York in April but aren’t playing solid baseball entering the rematch. They have dropped five of their past six games and were outscored 22-4 while being swept by Seattle.

“We gave away too many free runs,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “When you give away free runs and get behind a good team that has a good pitching staff, it makes it really difficult to win baseball games.”

New York arrives with a four-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep of the host Royals in which the Yankees outscored Kansas City 26-4.

New York rolled to a 15-1 victory on Tuesday and followed up with a 7-0 win behind veteran Gerrit Cole in the right-hander’s second start since returning from Tommy John surgery.

Cole struck out 10 and gave up four hits over 6 2/3 innings. Judge kept a run off the ledger by throwing out Kansas City’s Michael Massey at the plate in the third inning.

“All I was thinking was, ‘Don’t let this guy score,'” Judge told reporters. “Especially Gerrit coming back, second game, it’s a tight game. I know if we stop them from scoring there, they’re probably not going to score the rest of the game. Just trying to do my job.”

Left-hander Carlos Rodon (0-2, 4.15) makes his fourth start for the Yankees after undergoing offseason elbow surgery.

Rodon, 33, lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on May 21 when he gave up one run and three hits over five innings.

Rodon is 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA in nine career starts against the A’s. Shea Langeliers is 4-for-8 against Rodon, while Brent Rooker is 1-for-12 with five strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Soaring once more despite a rash of injuries, the Los Angeles Dodgers will play host to a playoff rematch starting Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Dodgers lost a pair of position players this week when infielder Enrique Hernandez’s return from elbow surgery was cut short by an oblique injury, and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went down with a hamstring injury.

The club returned infielder Alex Freeland to the roster from Triple-A Oklahoma City, while Alex Call and longtime power-hitting minor leaguer Ryan Ward will share time in left field.

“It’s pretty frustrating for us,” Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages said of the injuries, according to ESPN. “We have the opportunity to see them work hard every day and prepare so that those things don’t happen. But (injuries are) going to happen all the time.”

Pages has been doing his part of late. He was moved up to the No. 2 spot in the order this week and has three home runs in his past four games. The Dodgers are riding a team-wide power surge, with eight home runs in the past two games.

The club has won five straight games and 12 of its past 14 contests.

Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (6-2, 3.07 ERA) is set to take the mound in the series opener. He has just one career appearance against the Phillies and it was a struggle when he gave up five runs while recording just one out in relief last season.

Wrobleski opened the season 5-0 with a 1.25 ERA through six starts, but he is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA over his last three outings.

The last time the Phillies played in Los Angeles, they were eliminated from the National League Division Series in a bizarre ending. Right-hander Orion Kerkering was left in tears after making a wild throw home with two outs instead of taking the out at first base to extend the game.

The miscue gave Los Angeles a 2-1 series-clinching victory in the 11th inning of Game 4.

Kerkering seems to be using the moment as inspiration with a 2.21 ERA through his first 23 appearances this season.

The Phillies enter the series off a three-game sweep at San Diego, allowing just three runs in the series.

Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez is on a franchise-record 44 2/3-inning scoreless streak but will not pitch in the series. Instead, Philadelphia will turn to right-hander Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67), who is on his own scoreless innings streak.

Wheeler did not allow a run in either of his last two outings, and he is coming off a start Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians when he had six strikeouts over six scoreless innings while earning the win.

Wheeler is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA in seven career starts against the Dodgers.

The series will mark the return of former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to Los Angeles. Mattingly has guided the Phillies to a 20-8 turnaround since Rob Thomson was fired with a 9-19 record to start the season.

“Obviously, the Dodgers have been the world champions the last two years, so they’re going to bring plenty of trouble for us,” said Mattingly, who managed the Dodgers from 2011-15. “But we just got to play good baseball and take care of our own business and keep it simple. Usually, the team that plays the best baseball wins, so just look at it like that.”

–Field Level Media

The New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury will meet for the second time in three days when they face off Friday night in New York.

For the Mercury (2-6), the goal is snapping a losing streak that is now at four games after an 84-74 loss to the Liberty (4-4) on Wednesday.

Team unity is key for the Mercury in getting back on track, according to Natasha Mack, who tied her career-high of 14 points in the team’s latest loss and is optimistic despite the tough stretch.

“We just have to stick together and continue building on what we’re doing now,” Mack told reporters afterward. “It’s getting better. We see it. But we just have to give a little bit more.”

The Liberty are coming off a much-needed win to avoid their first 3-5 start since 2022. A franchise-record 23-0 run in the third quarter was key in ending a three-game losing streak.

New York knows it will be tough to duplicate that success a second time against Phoenix.

“They’re going to come out with a little bit more intensity. They’re going to be a little more focused,” New York’s Jonquel Jones said after the win. “So, we have to also take it to another level, but it does feel good to be in the win column. And to play the right way, like win the right way. Not just going out there and things kind of luckily happening in the right way for us.”

Jones finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double.

Marine Johannes led the Liberty with 21 points and five assists, hitting a career-best seven 3-pointers and reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career. She’s averaging 12.6 points per game.

Her effort was big, especially with Sabrina Ionescu out with back soreness. Ionescu has played in only one game this year.

Kahleah Copper poured in 19 points to lead the Mercury and is now 10th all-time in scoring in Phoenix history with 1,370 points. Cooper is averaging 18.8 points per contest.

–Field Level Media