Verlander set to make debut for Astros on Tuesday

HOUSTON » When Houston manager A.J. Hinch called to welcome Justin Verlander to the team, the pitcher’s first question was when he’d make his debut for the Astros.

The answer is Tuesday at Seattle after the Astros orchestrated a lastminute deal with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night to acquire the right-hander and bolster their rotation as they eye a deep playoff run in October.

General manager Jeff Luhnow said they’d been trying to get Verlander to Houston since late July, but weren’t able to pull it off until just before the deadline for having players eligible for postseason play.

“I was confident that we were going to get the deal over the finish line,” Luhnow said. “But obviously there were times I had my doubts even through the last 20 minutes or so.”

The trade gives the American League West leaders a powerful 1-2-3 punch at the top of their rotation with 2015 Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers pairing with Verlander, who won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 2011.

“Justin Verlander is hands-down the best possible outcome that we could have had last night going into September,” manager A. J. Hinch said. RED SOX 4, YANKEES 1» Doug Fister dominated for seven innings and Boston backed him with three home runs to beat New York and extend its AL East lead. INDIANS 10-3, TIGERS 0-2 » Mike Clevinger pitched six sharp innings and Cleveland swept a daynight doubleheader, routing Detroit for the Indians’ ninth straight win.

The AL Central-leading Indians won the opener on Francisco Lindor’s tiebreaking single in the ninth. RAYS 3, WHITE SOX 1» Logan Morrison hit his 34th homer and drove in three runs, Blake Snell pitched into the seventh inning to win his third straight decision and Tampa Bay beat Chicago.

Morrison, who went 3 for 4, has five homers in his last five games. He’s hitting .480 (12 for 25) with 11 RBIs during that span. BREWERS 1, NATIONALS 0 » Jimmy Nelson scattered three singles and struck out 11 over seven innings and Milwaukee beat Washington. CUBS 2, BRAVES 0 » John Lackey pitched seven crisp innings, Javier Baez’s daring baserunning paid off again and Chicago beat Atlanta for the Cubs’ fifth straight win.

Lackey (11-10) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked none while improving to 6-1 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.