Verlander gets off to a strong start

SEATTLE — The only comparison Justin Verlander could come up with for his Astros debut Tuesday night was opening day.

“The unknown, don’t really want to let everyone down, new team,” Verlander said. “But these guys have made the process pretty easy so far (by) making me feel right at home as quickly as possible.”

Verlander could find a home anywhere with the kind of performance he delivered against the Mariners in the Astros’ 3-1 win.

It was the first time in 381 career regular-season starts that Verlander, a six-time All-Star, pitched for someone other than the Tigers. Even if his uniform colors were slightly different, his fastball and ability to dominate a game were the same.

With fiancee Kate Upton in the stands, Verlander (11-8) allowed six hits and struck out seven while completing six innings for the 10th straight start.

“He throws every pitch with a purpose,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I don’t think he had great feel for his breaking ball early in the count, (but he) had a really good fastball and he went to it.”

The final pitch from the 2011 American League MVP was a 99 mph fastball that fanned Mitch Haniger and left two runners stranded.

“That was as impressive a finish as we could ask for, especially in the big moments,” Hinch said. “He never gets out of control.”

Former Angels outfielder Cameron Maybin, another recent addition, hit a two-run homer in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.

“This team has been playing great and everybody has something to do with the success,” he said. “I’m just trying to help out.”