LEADING OFF LET’S TIP CAP TO JUSTIN
Verlander might be facing Sox for last time as member of Tigers
The worst start against the White Sox of Justin Verlander’s career was the first one. It came in 2006, when the soon- to- be Tigers ace was all of 23 years old. The Sox roughed him up for seven earned runs in 2‰ innings.
Eleven- plus seasons later, we’re looking at the potential end of an era as Verlander — at 34, a strong bet for the Hall of Fame — makes what might be his final Chicago start against the Sox in a Tigers uniform. Verlander cleared revocable trade waivers this month, meaning he could be dealt to any team by the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline.
On Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field, Verlander will try to nail down career victory No. 21 against the South Siders. Through all these years, there’ve been only 13 defeats.
‘‘ The years go by fast,’’ said his longtime catcher, Alex Avila, whom the Tigers dealt to the Cubs ( along with reliever Justin Wilson) at the non- waiver deadline July 31. ‘‘ You look back on it and can’t believe it.’’
The only opponent Verlander has beaten more times than the Sox is the Royals ( 23). He hasn’t surrendered more than two runs in a game to the Sox since 2015 or dropped a decision to them since 2014. Since that last ‘‘ L,’’ Verlander is 5- 0 with a 2.67 ERA in nine starts against the Sox. The Tigers went 8- 1 in those games.
‘‘ Justin is a great guy, a real friend, and he has put together a great career,’’ Avila said.
Sox fans wouldn’t be at all sorry to see him go.
On to the rest of this week’s One Through Nine: 2 Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 2.45 ERA in six starts since returning from the disabled list, with how many victories to show for it? Try zero. It just doesn’t seem fair.
We’re barreling toward September, and Hendricks — the majors’ ERA leader in 2016 — is
just 4- 4. Who could’ve seen his lack of production coming? But if there’s a theme among the members of the Cubs’ rotation right now, it’s that they still think they can return to their 2016 World Series- winning form. Hendricks comes down squarely in that camp.
‘‘ I’ve got to put it all together where you dominate, get a little run support, get the win in kind of an easy game,’’ he said. ‘‘ One of those maybe could kick- start a winning streak for me or something. I’ve just got to focus on the pitches I’m making and where I’m at now, but I think I’ll get there very soon.’’
3 Mike Montgomery spent most of five seasons stuck in Class AAA. He thinks that largely took the ego out of him, suiting him well for the variety of roles the Cubs have thrown at him.
That said, the 28- year- old, who threw six scoreless innings in an easy victory Wednesday against the Reds, definitely sees himself as more than simply Jon Lester’s replacement in the rotation while the big fella works his way back from an issue with his left lat muscle and shoulder.
Hey, Cubs: Montgomery wants to be a full- time starter in 2018.
‘‘ Absolutely,’’ he said. ‘‘ If me starting makes us better in their mind, then that’s what I want, ideally.’’
4 Well, this won’t be pleasant. I asked Cubs fans on Twitter: ‘‘ If the Cubs make the playoffs, should John Lackey — who hasn’t lost since June — be scheduled for a start?’’
Seventy- three percent of the nearly 700 respondents said no.
Ouch.
5 OK, so it’s a long shot, but at what point do we start entertaining the possibility of the Cubs ( 68- 57) catching the Nationals ( 75- 49) for home- field advantage in the National League Division Series?
6 Lucas Giolito was 0- 5 with a 7.31 ERA in six starts at Class AAA Charlotte this season when he called his own numbers ‘‘ atrocious’’ and asked: ‘‘ Why aren’t I figuring it out?’’
That was back in May. A little more than three months later, Giolito, a former first- round draft pick by the Nationals in 2012, was called up by the White Sox. Giolito, only 23, got the loss in his debut Tuesday, but he has worked extrahard for this opportunity. How nice that he has turned things around.
7 The quote of the week, courtesy of Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, on whether his best work is yet to come: ‘‘ That’s the way I feel, and I intend to back it up.’’
8 The Pirates have played their way completely out of the NL Central race. Have the Cardinals, too? A 3- 7 slide has left them 4 ½ games behind the Cubs, and now we learn closer Trevor Rosenthal needs Tommy John surgery.
Short answer: Yes.
9 Did you see Angels slugger Albert Pujols passed Sammy Sosa for eighth on the all- time list with 610 home runs? By the time you blink, Pujols will be up to seventh. He already owns the top spot among all non- U. S.- born players. The line to disagree starts right over there, but — sorry — I’m riding with Pujols as the greatest hitter of his generation.