Houston Astros righthander Justin Verlander has made it back from injuries that set him back this season. Verlander might still be working on getting his pitching rhythm down. The future Baseball Hall of Famer was not sharp as the Astros lost to the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Monday.
Verlander (3-5) found himself in a heap of trouble right away. He walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. TJ Friedl connected for a sacrifice fly. Ty France, who had four hits on the day, had an RBI single to score Elly De La Cruz and give the Reds a 2-0 lead.
Houston Astros Missed Clutch Hits
“I was all over the place in that first inning,” Verlander said, according to The Associated Press. “The mechanics, not good. The location needed to be better. I made some decent pitches that weren’t called but it’s hard to get pitches when you’re all over the place.”
Houston Astros outfielder Yanier Diaz connected for a two-run single in the third inning, tying the game at 2-2. But Cincinnati came right back in the fifth inning. Santiago Espinal connected for a bloop single, scoring two runs for a 4-2 Cincinnati lead. Espinal stole second base and scored on Eddie Rosario’s single off Astros reliever Kaleb Ort.
Rosario had two hits and an RBI in the Labor Day matchup.
Verlander ended up just working 4 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs and eight hits. “I felt the last few innings, especially the last couple, were a lot better,” Verlander said. “In the fifth inning, it was a tough pill to swallow.”
Cincinnati’s Carson Spiers (5-5) worked 2 1/3 innings in relief for the win. Spiers, whose uncle is former major leaguer Bill Spiers, was charged with one run and three hits.
Ninth-Inning Rally Didn’t Materialize
Down 5-3 entering the ninth inning, the Houston Astros positioned themselves for a rally. Yet it didn’t materialize. Jason Heyward connected for a leadoff single. But Jose Altuve struck out. Reliever Justin Wilson came on for Cincinnati and got Yordan Alvarez to line out to center, ending the rally.
Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman missed his fifth game due to elbow inflammation.
Both teams get a rare day off on Tuesday in the middle of the series. Don’t expect the Astros to be complaining. Monday’s loss marked the end of playing 18 games in 18 days. So, they probably will enjoy disconnecting from the ballpark a little bit.
The loss puts Houston’s overall record at 75-63, still good enough to sit in first place in the American League West Division.
On Wednesday, the Astros send righthander Spencer Arrighetti (7-11, 4.63 ERA) to the mound against Reds righty Nick Martinez (6-6, 3.78 ERA).
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