Astros waste a gem by Verlander
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 2 hits from the 2-1 loss
Aug 21, 2019, 9:24 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
After turning around a disappointing week last week by starting this one with a three-game winning streak, Houston was looking to lock up a four-game series win by taking game three on Wednesday night. Justin Verlander was on the mound against his former team. Here is a recap of the game:
Final Score: Tigers 2, Astros 1.
Record: 81-47, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Buck Farmer (4-4, 3.74 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77 ERA).
1) Verlander dominates his former team in a complete game, still gets the loss
Justin Verlander started Wednesday's night game perfectly, getting through the first four and two-thirds innings by retiring the first fourteen batters he faced in order. The first hit and baserunner he allowed came on a two-out solo home run in the top of the fifth, which put Detroit ahead 1-0.
After the offense was only able to provide him with a tying run, Verlander would continue on the mound through the ninth inning. However, in the top of the ninth, he would allow a go-ahead solo home run to start the inning, putting the Tigers up 2-1 and unfortunately giving him the loss. Verlander's final line: 9 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 2 HR.
.@JustinVerlander becomes just 5th pitcher ever to have a 10+ K streak of at least 7 games. pic.twitter.com/ocrGh4LlPH
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 22, 2019
2) Astros get a solo home run by Chirinos, but nothing more
After being shutout through the first six innings while Verlander dealt on the mound, Houston was finally able to get on the board thanks to a solo home run by Robinson Chirinos to lead off the bottom of the seventh. After Detroit went ahead in the top of the ninth before Verlander completed the inning and nine innings, it was up to the offense to try and tie or walk it off. They would, unfortunately, come up empty, wasting a gem by Verlander and losing the game.
Up Next: The Astros will wrap up this four-game series with the Tigers on Thursday night with the finale scheduled for another 7:10 PM start. After being scratched from his last start, Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.87 ERA) is expected to return to the mound for Houston as he goes opposite of Jordan Zimmerman (1-8, 6.66 ERA) for Detroit.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
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Jun 30, 2025, 4:53 pm
The Houston Astros announced on Monday that additional imaging has revealed that Jeremy Peña is dealing with a small fracture in one of his ribs.
Peña left Friday's game after being hit by a pitch in the ribs. The club originally believed they had avoided any fractures or breaks, but new information has informed them otherwise.
Update on Jeremy Peña: pic.twitter.com/jfCsCUKWFx
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 30, 2025
Peña is heading to the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 28. This news comes at an unfortunate time, with Jeremy posting the best regular season numbers of his career. He's currently slashing .322, .378, .489 with an .867 OPS.
Peña will miss the Rockies and Dodgers series at a minimum.
Story on Peña headed to the IL with quotes from Dana Brown.
“This isn’t one of those things where you have to be sidelined the whole time. Once the inflammation goes down, he might feel good enough to swing a bat.” https://t.co/ih2G09Jpcf
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 30, 2025
Let's hope the team doesn't rush him back too soon and create an even bigger problem. These quotes above from Dana Brown have me concerned. Playing through injuries can create bad habits, and Jeremy has clearly found his swing this season.