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The Houston Astros emerged victorious from a roller coaster ride of an ALDS Game 1 against the Seattle Mariners. After the M's pounced on Justin Verlander early in the game, the Astros had to play catch-up in order to walk off with a Game 1 win. Speaking on Verlander's performance, manager Dusty Baker maintained confidence in the veteran starter despite his uncharacteristically bad playoff start, via Marly Rivera of ESPN.
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Asked whether he'd consider starting Verlander in another game during the ALDS, Baker gave an interesting response.
“I'm more inclined to bring him back, because the chance of him having two bad outings is rare,” said Baker. “And I like to be the guy [who gets] right back on the horse right away. Because the longer you sit them out, the longer you have to think about it. And so, no, I wish I could start him tomorrow, to tell you the truth.”
Verlander lasted just 4.0 innings during the Game 1 win, surrendering six runs, 10 hits, and one walk, while striking out three batters. It was one of the worst postseason outings of his career, but the Astros' offense bucked up and bailed him out. Baker isn't worried about the blip on the radar from his ace.
Yordan Alvarez took care of that, hitting a walk-off three-run home run off Robbie Ray in the bottom of the ninth when the Astros were down to their final out.
In regards to Verlander, Dusty Baker admitted he'd have no qualms about trotting the 39-year-old out for another start during the series, suggesting that the chances of lightning striking twice and Verlander having another bad outing are extremely low. We'll see if that's something the Astros put to action if the Mariners manage to steal a game or two in the series.
