Verlander’s gem wasted in loss
Verlander allows only two hits, both homers, in mind-boggling loss
Just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean that it’s also not a dead solid fact that on any given night at your local big league ballyard, you’re apt to see something amazing, something unbelievable, something flabbergasting, be it bit by bit or all at once.
On this given Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, it was Justin Verlander throwing 99 pitches in nine innings, 75 for strikes, all from the windup, striking out 11 batters — and losing.
It was Astros catcher Robinson Chirinos with a four-hit night that, in keeping with most of humanity, came up one agonizing base short of the cycle.
It was a night in which the Astros in consecutive innings made the third out at third base — Jose Altuve in the eighth, Chirinos for the game’s final out in the ninth.
It was, by Las Vegas standards, the most improbable outcome for any Major League Baseball game in memory.
It was a 2-1 Tigers win over the Astros, and it’s one that any who witnessed or participated in it will be hard-pressed to forget, be it in their dreams or their nightmares.
“It wasn’t our night, and there’s no way to talk about it,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. “Credit to (the Tigers) for the way they won a game in one of the most unique ways you’ll ever see.
“When you’re around baseball, just when you’ve seen just about everything, then come to another game. And you’ll see something maybe more unique than you’ve seen before.”
All three runs came on home runs — for Detroit, by Ronny Rodriguez in the fifth and by John Hicks in the ninth, and for Houston, by Chirinos in the seventh.
The two home runs were the
only hits and only baserunners allowed by Verlander (15-5), who retired the first 14 hitters he faced and got all 11 strikeout victims on swinging third strikes.
Four Tigers pitchers, meanwhile, held the Astros to six hits, four of them by Chirinos, who made the game’s final out by trying to turn a double into a triple in the bottom of the ninth with the Astros down by a run.
His drive to the base of the Astros' bullpen was tracked down by Detroit center fielder Harold Castro, who relayed to second baseman Gordon Beckham, who threw to third baseman Dawel Lugo for the final out.
“I tried on my own,” Chirinos said. “That was the mistake I made running the bases. I should have looked to (third base coach Gary Pettis). I was running with my head down. That’s a mistake you make when you don’t look to third base.”
The Astros also wrangled two walks, the second in the eighth by Altuve, who was off with the pitch on a 3-2 count to Alex Bregman with one out. Bregman sent a slow roller toward shortstop Jordy Mercer, who got the out at first as Altuve raced around second and headed to third.
Rodriguez threw across the diamond to Lugo, who got the out to end the inning.
“If Rodriguez throws the ball over the third baseman’s head, we’re applauding Altuve for being aggressive and scoring a potentially important run,” Hinch said.
“It’s all results-oriented, but I understand kind of where guys are coming from when you have a game like this. (Verlander) is pitching his tail off, we’re trying to do as much as we can, but when the result happens like this, it sucks.”
As for Verlander, it was the seventh consecutive game in which he had double figure strikeouts. All were swinging, with seven third strikes coming on sliders, three on fastballs and one on a curveball.
But the two homers got him, both on fastballs, one to Rodriguez that wasn’t as high as he would have liked, one to Hicks that was middle and down as opposed to down and away.
“Baseball in 2019,” Verlander said. “I don’t go out of the stretch at all the entire game, and we lost. I don’t know what else to say.
“Solo homers usually don’t hurt you. Tonight they did, unfortunately.”
The Astros, meanwhile, had limited success against Tigers lefthander Daniel Norris, who has been limited to three innings in each of his last three starts, and lefthanded reliever Tyler Alexander, who allowed three hits, including the Chirinos homer, in four innings.
George Springer was stranded in the first after a leadoff infield hit, and Chirinos had a one-out double in the second before Norris got Jake Marisnick and shortstop Jack Mayfield on popups to second to end the inning.
Alexander allowed two baserunners in the fourth with a walk to Bregman and a two-out Chirinos single, but Marisnick struck out swinging to end the inning. Springer had a two-out single in the fifth before Altuve flied out to right.
“I thought we looked uncomfortable (against Norris). We couldn’t read his pitches very well,” Hinch said. “Then Alexander kept us off balance. It looked like we were out front or late.”
If the Astros and the 29,567 on hand at Minute Maid Park were rocked by the unexpected outcome, consider the impact on bettors in Las Vegas.
Oddsmakers described Detroit’s win as one of the most statistically improbable in recent Major League Baseball history. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, MGM Resorts sportsbooks reported several mid five-figure bets on the Astros to win the game outright.
Bettors had to wager $5.50 to $6 on the Astros to win a single dollar, and the Astros also were rated with good odds to score at least two runs.
But they didn’t.
It was another night at the ballpark.
“The results,” Verlander said, “are the results.”