Astros' Justin Verlander: Named starter for Game 5
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Verlander will start Game 5 of the ALCS on Friday at Texas, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
An easy call here for Astros manager Dusty Baker. Verlander took the loss in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday at Houston, but that was mostly due to a lack of run support. The veteran right-hander has allowed only two runs while tallying 11 strikeouts through 12.2 innings (two starts) this postseason.
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Astros' Justin Verlander: Surrenders two runs in loss
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Verlander took the loss in Sunday's 2-0 match against the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks across 6.2 innings. He struck out five.
Verlander had a solid performance on the losing side of a pitchers duel, yet his team could not bail him out of the 12th loss of his postseason career. The veteran right-hander was victim to an RBI single in the second inning to give the Rangers an early lead, and a fifth-inning solo home run by Leody Taveras furthered the damage. However, Verlander hasn't lost a beat in his age-40 season, tossing his seventh quality start in eight games since September. So far this postseason, Verlander has pitched to a clean 1.42 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 12.2 innings with 11 strikeouts.
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Astros' Justin Verlander: Will start Game 1 of ALCS
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Verlander will start Game 1 of the ALCS against the Rangers on Sunday in Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Verlander would have gotten the call for a potential ALDS Game 5 start against the Twins, but the Astros took care of business with a clinching Game 4 victory Wednesday at Target Field. The veteran right-hander was his usual trusty October self in Game 1 of that best-of-five series, tallying six strikeouts over six scoreless innings in a 6-4 defeat of Minnesota. He'll be on seven full days of rest leading into the opener of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series versus Texas.
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Astros' Justin Verlander: Unlikely to start on short rest
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Verlander is "probably not" an option to start Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins on short rest, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Houston has not yet announced a Game 4 starter, but it doesn't sound like Verlander is under consideration. Instead, Verlander would presumably be in line to take the ball in a potential Game 5. The Astros are turning to Cristian Javier in Game 3 after splitting the first two games of the series. It figures to be J.P. France or Jose Urquidy starting Game 4 for Houston after Hunter Brown was used in relief in Game 2.
Astros' Justin Verlander: Gets call for ALDS Game 1
Rotowire
Verlander will start for the Astros on Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Twins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros have co-aces with Verlander and Framber Valdez, and manager Dusty Baker will go with the former for the series opener while holding the latter back for Game 2. Verlander collected a 2.73 ERA over his final five starts of the regular season for Houston. He will be pitching on six days' rest Saturday.
Verlander (13-8) allowed two hits and three walks while striking out five over five shutout innings to earn the win Saturday over the Diamondbacks.
Verlander's three walks were his most in a start since he was traded from the Mets, but he still got the job done. The Astros' playoff spot was confirmed with their win and the Mariners' loss to Texas. Verlander has delivered three scoreless outings in his 11 starts with Houston, and he ends September having allowed 17 runs (16 earned) over 39 frames in six starts. He has a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 144:45 K:BB in 162.1 innings over 27 starts this season. Verlander's next turn through the rotation tentatively lines up for Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series.
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Astros' Justin Verlander: Turns in vintage performance
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Verlander (12-8) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out eight over eight-plus innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Monday.
This was Verlander's longest outing since he was traded from the Mets to the Astros at the deadline. It was also his third quality start over five outings in September. The 40-year-old right-hander is now at a 3.32 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 139:42 K:BB through 157.1 innings over 26 starts this season. He's tentatively lined up to face the Diamondbacks on the road this weekend, but Houston may change its pitching plans depending on its positioning in the standings and whether the team needs to line up a playoff rotation.
Astros' Justin Verlander: Goes six innings in no-decision
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Verlander did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings against the Orioles. He struck out five.
Verlander has now gone six or more innings in each of his last four starts, though he's pitched to a 5.19 ERA in that span. Overall, the veteran right-hander is 11-8 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 131:41 K:BB through 25 starts (149.1 innings) this season between the Astros and the Mets. Verlander's currently lined up for a favorable home matchup with the Royals in his next outing.
Verlander (5-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on eight hits over seven innings against the Athletics. He struck out seven.
The A's got to Verlander early Tuesday, putting up three runs in the opening inning, including a pair on a Shea Langeliers homer. Verlander would hold Oakland to two runs over his final six frames, though he'd ultimately wind up with just his second loss in his last seven starts. The veteran right-hander had been excellent of late, holding opponents to one run or fewer in three of his prior four outings. His ERA now sits at 3.39 with a 1.16 WHIP and 126:40 K:BB across 24 starts (143.1 innings) between the Astros and Mets this season. Verlander will look to get back on track in his next outing, currently scheduled for early next week against the Orioles.
