Verlander 'turning over stones' after rare stumble vs. Yanks

NEW YORK -- There’s been somewhat of an air of invincibility around Justin Verlander when he steps onto the mound against the Yankees while wearing an Astros uniform.

Entering Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, the likely future Hall of Famer had only lost two games to New York in the regular season, with Houston holding a 6-3 record in those starts. And that’s without even mentioning his masterful postseason duels he’s had against the Bronx Bombers, like Games 2 and 6 of the 2017 American League Championship Series, or his herculean six-inning effort in Game 1 of the 2022 ALCS.

Even with the 41-year-old making just his fourth start since recovering from right shoulder inflammation, the Astros feel the utmost confidence with Verlander on the mound.

“He’s the guy that we want on the mound [in] a game like today,” manager Joe Espada said pregame. “After losing a tough series against Seattle, coming here today, we have him on the mound to set the tone for the series, it’s very important. … He knows the importance of us coming out here and playing well. It’s important for us to set the tone and he’s the right guy to do it.”

What followed was a continuation of Houston’s early-season doldrums, as it suffered a lopsided 10-3 defeat to the Yankees, dropping to 12-23. A quiet offensive night -- highlighted by Kyle Tucker’s first-inning solo homer -- was magnified by a particularly tough outing for Verlander. He allowed seven earned runs (the most he’s given up to New York as an Astro) on eight hits, surrendering three home runs.

Before the loss, Espada mentioned that he’s been encouraged by how Verlander has shouldered the load since returning from injury, noting his ability to pitch late into games without a visible decrease in stuff. Including Tuesday’s outing, Verlander has thrown at least 95 pitches in each of his past three starts -- and against the Yankees, velocity on all four of his pitches was up from his yearly average.

“[I felt] pretty good physically … everything has been feeling pretty good,” Verlander said. “I would like to have a tick or two more velo on my fastball, which is something I’ve been expecting because I wasn’t able to long toss really at all. And that’s something that can get me going a little bit.”

But where the physical feel remained, Verlander admitted that a loosened grip on his mechanics contributed to a lack of success against a Yankees lineup that might know him better than any other in the Majors.

“I think it was a combination of both: They had a good approach and I wasn’t very good,” Verlander said. “If I’m being really honest with myself, the last couple of games, particularly the walks, showed me I was a little off. And then sometimes it takes you facing a team that knows you intimately, and vice versa, to send you back to the drawing board.

“No, I think these guys told me today that I got some work to do, I’ve got to be more deceptive.”

Deception takes many forms, but one sign that you’re not fooling anyone is low swing-and-miss totals. According to Statcast, Verlander only induced six whiffs against the Yankees (three each on curveballs and sliders), and both the amount of horizontal and vertical movement on each of his pitches was down. When the walk totals outnumber the strikeout numbers -- three free passes against two punchouts on Tuesday -- it’s not hard to believe there’s room for improvement.

The precision and accuracy struggles plagued Verlander early. He walked Aaron Judge on five pitches in the first frame, yanking sliders and fastballs off the outside corner to put two runners on ahead of Alex Verdugo. Then against the left-handed-hitting outfielder, he spent the majority of the at-bat peppering the outside corner, before attempting to pressure Verdugo with an up-and-in fastball on the seventh pitch; however, Verlander missed his spot and Verdugo deposited a low-and-inside 95 mph four-seamer into the right-field bleachers. A microcosm of Verlander’s evening.

“Tried to go up-and-in, threw it down-and-in -- threw it right where he likes it,” Verlander said. “That’s really the pitch that’s probably going to nag me most tonight. But obviously, that wasn’t the ballgame.”

For Verlander, who has made 513 career regular-season starts, tonight was just another alert that adjustments have to be made. From his point of view, it’s by no means cause for alarm -- just another opportunity to return to the drawing board and come back stronger. Something he’s done time and time again in his 19-year career.

“If anything, I figured out that I need to be better, so I’m gonna go,” Verlander said. “Starting tomorrow, I have a lot of work to do. Been here, countless times in my career. One of the things about being a veteran is knowing yourself and knowing when you’re right. You don’t just throw away games like this and say, ‘OK, I’ll be better next time.’

“There’s a reason. And you’ve got to start turning over stones and find that reason.”