Locked in, ready
Verlander looks sharp in tuneup before making 12th start on opening day
Opening day never gets old for Justin Verlander even as he gets older.
The last step before the 37-year-old Astros ace’s 12th career start in a season opener mostly went as expected Sunday. In five innings, Verlander struck out seven and allowed three hits and one run in a scrimmage at Minute Maid Park.
Verlander, who totaled 74 pitches, was touched for his only run when Jack Mayfield launched a changeup to left field for a homer.
Verlander said he would have liked better control with his pitches Sunday compared to his first practice outing this summer, but overall “nothing felt off enough to where I needed to fix it.” On Friday against the Mariners at Minute Maid Park, he’ll start an opener for the eighth consecutive year, including the last three for the Astros.
“They’re all kind of unique and different, especially with the ebbs and flows of my career to this point,” said Verlander, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. “How I felt physically from the first time just being so young and green and just kind of like a deer in headlights, to being on top of the world pitchingwise, to dealing with some injuries and trying to battle through those in the offseason and
trying to gut through opening day even, to resurgence where all the hard work has gone into getting myself back to where I want to be.”
There were hurdles on the way to this opening-day start. Verlander was rehabbing from a lat injury during spring training before learning he’d need groin surgery. If not for baseball’s shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic, he’d have had no chance to start what would have been the season opener in March.
After his surgery, Verlander rebuilt his pitching mechanics to help promote longevity in an already lengthy career. It has Astros pitching coach Brent Strom predicting Verlander can pitch as long as Nolan Ryan did. Verlander is heading into his 16th season; Ryan’s career lasted 27.
Manager Dusty Baker has also noted Verlander’s ability to adapt over time, even comparing him to Tom Brady, who will play this next NFL season as a 43-year-old quarterback.
“Innately, those guys — and I’m hoping I’m one of them — just have a feel of what you need to do,” Verlander said. “And I couldn’t really even put a finger on it exactly, and I don’t know if those guys can, but it’s just a gut feeling. You’re able to implement it and then also feel it very quickly so you can make an adjustment and understand almost immediately whether it’s something that’ll benefit you or whether it’s going to hurt.”
If Verlander’s consistency is a mere formality at this point, the fifth spot in the Astros’ rotation is anything but.
Baker said after Sunday’s workout he is not ready to name who will fill the role, adding, “It’ll probably go down to the wire.”
The manager also noted that the last three or four spots on the 30-man roster the Astros will start the season with — it will be reduced to 28 two weeks into the season and to 26 two weeks later — are still being decided.
The fifth starting pitcher could be Cristian Javier, who pitched opposite Verlander in Sunday’s scrimmage. Javier threw 51 of his 77 pitches for strikes, including his first eight.
“I’ve just been trying to work on my quality and really improve with every single pitch. And God willing, I can keep getting better every single time out,” Javier said through a translator.
While Framber Valdez’s name has been mentioned often in connection with the fifth spot in the rotation, Baker said it’s not erroneous to suggest Javier is in the mix.
“He was looking good,” Baker said of Javier, the Astros’ 2019 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. “We just have to decide if we’re going to keep him in the pen. (Cy) Sneed is looking good. Some other guys look good.”
The second through fourth spots in the rotation are set for the opening series against Seattle. Lance McCullers Jr. will start the second game, followed by Zack Greinke and Josh James.