MINNEAPOLIS -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild went straight to the game tape after hearing right-hander Luis Severino took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in a one-run, 8 1/3-inning Triple-A outing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday night.

They liked the results and some of what they saw, but not enough to believe Severino is ready to rejoin the Yankees' rotation.

"It still needs some tuning up," Girardi said Sunday before the Yankees and Minnesota Twins finished up their four-game series at Target Field. "It's location. Consistency is the big thing. You see some really good pitches, some well-located pitches, but it's consistency and here (in the majors) you can't leave ball in the middle of the plate or they get hammered. So I think a lot of times you have to look beyond the numbers."

Severino has very good Triple-A numbers. In five starts, the 22-year-old Dominican is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA with 15 hits allowed, 26 strikeouts and nine walks in 28 innings.

This was closer to the Severino who starred for the Yankees late last season as big-league rookie, not the guy whom this season was 0-6 with a 7.46 ERA in seven starts.

Severino, who was and still is viewed by the Yankees as a future ace, last pitched in the big leagues on May 14, a start against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in which he was getting bombed before leaving in the third inning with a right triceps strain. By May 30, he was healthy, but the Yanks optioned him to Triple-A instead of throwing him back into their rotation.

On Saturday, Severino pitched into the ninth and allowed only three hits in a 7-1 International League win over Gwinnett, but only 68 of his 104 pitches were strikes in an outing in which he struck out five and walked three.

"I think I'm moving (in the right direction)," Severino told the Scranton Times-Tribune after Saturday's outing. "All my pitches are there. My changeup is good, my slider is working very well, my fastball is good. I feel good. My arm feels good. That's the most important thing."

Being healthy is important, but being healthy and making pitches consistently is what will get Severino back to the Yankees.

"I think sometimes you see the location is not where it needs to be," Girardi said. "He throws some really good sliders, then he throws some that are up or lack the downward movement that you want.

"I think he's making strides. I think he's becoming more consistent, but we're looking for some more."

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.