Rangers’ Banister touts Verlander’s talent
ARLINGTON — Justin Verlander’s dominant season has been undeniable. The righthander has emerged as the unquestioned ace of the Astros and, at 35, having one of the best seasons of his 14-year career.
Verlander earned his eighth win Friday, when of the three hits allowed in six innings to the Rangers, two came on bunts.
Before taking over as manager of the Rangers in 2015, Jeff
Banister coached with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He admired the ways Verlander has improved at this stage of his career, considering he was already one of baseball’s best starters.
“He was pretty effective three or four years ago,” Banister said. “He’s pretty good now. I would say that prior to 2015, when I saw him, when I was with Pittsburgh, there were nights when he would show you 91 (mph), 93, and as he got deeper into the game, he jumped it up to 97, 98. The velo he regulates throughout the game, he always has that 97 in his back pocket, whenever he wants to reach back and get it.”
The velocity always has been there for Verlander. Banister is most impressed with the righthander’s sharpened ability to throw elite breaking balls for strikes and whip out hitters with irresistible ones out of the zone.
“The secondary stuff, the breaking stuff, the increased percentage of strikes, to where he lands a vast majority of them for strikes and they’re power breaking balls, and the swing-and-miss breaking ball,” Banister said. “The deployment of the high, hard fastball prob- ably a bit increased rate as well. Still a really good pitcher.”
Hot Bregman still upset by production
The bat flip, the skip out of the box, the deep home runs in consecutive games — it appears Astros third baseman Alex
Bregman has his groove back. On Saturday, Bregman, 24, doubled in George Springer to start the game. Bregman extended streaks of getting a hit in eight consecutive games and reaching base in 22 consecutive games. He is hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs during his hitting streak.
Despite the spike in his performance, Bregman remains disappointed about his production. His OPS was .827 as of Saturday. Bregman sees himself as a .300 hitter, but his average has hovered around .260 for most of the season.
“It shouldn’t be a long climb. I dug myself that hole,” he said. “I didn’t really start well. I definitely haven’t been satisfied offensively with what I’ve done this year. I don’t know what it is, but an .830 OPS is horrible. I need to get a lot better.
“I just feel like a better player than how I’ve played.”
Correa nearing return to lineup
Shortstop Carlos Correa (sore right side) is on the brink of returning to play.
He took swings in a batting cage before Saturday’s game against the Rangers. He is expected to take fielding practice Sunday.
“He’s going to be ready faster than we necessarily even want to rush him or play him,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
“He’s potentially available tomorrow for a big at-bat.”