Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker wants to give Justin Verlander another shot in the ALDS after a rough Game 1 against the Seattle Mariners.
The Houston Astros pulled off a miracle to start off what they expect to be a lengthy postseason run. After trailing 7-3, the Astros pulled off the 8-7 victory on a walk-off, three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez. Prior to that, the story of Game 1 was about ace and AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander, who was pulled after surrendering six earned runs on 10 hits in four innings.
On Wednesday, the day after the victory, Astros manager Dusty Baker was asked if he would be less inclined to bring back Verlander for a Game 5 if necessary. Baker’s answer can be heard in Mark Berman of Fox 26’s tweet below:
“I’m more inclined to bring him back, because the chance of him having two bad outings is rare,” said Baker. “I like to get a guy right back on the horse right away. You sit him out, the longer you sit him out, the longer they have to think about it. I wish I could start him tomorrow.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker ‘inclined’ to bring Justin Verlander back sooner rather than later
Verlander’s day did not get off to a great start, considering he was on fire for the majority of the regular-season, one year removed from Tommy John surgery. In the first inning, Verlander surrendered an RBI single to Cal Raleigh, allowing Julio Rodriguez to score to give them a 1-0 lead. The second inning was no better, as Verlander gave up a two-RBI double to Rodriguez and an RBI single by Ty France, increasing Seattle’s lead to 4-0.
The Astros would cut the deficit to 4-2 on a two-run double by Alvarez in the third inning, but Verlander surrendered a solo homer to J.P. Crawford and an RBI double to France, giving Seattle a 6-2 lead. After the fourth inning, Verlander was officially taken out of the game.
Veralnder threw 81 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. He struck out just three batters and issued one walk.
The Astros are up 1-0 in the series, with Framber Valdez starting Game 2 and Lance McCullers Jr. starting Game 3. If it goes past three games, it will remain to be seen when Baker would bring Verlander back out to the mound.
