Verlander feels sloppy, but dominates anyway

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Right-hander Justin Verlander has been at the Mets' Spring Training site for almost two months, and he’s already left a lasting impression on his new club, which he joined via free agency in December.

Manager Buck Showalter says that Verlander is always looking for perfection when he is on the mound. He has a plan for everything and is always looking at scouting reports on opposing teams that he will pitch against. There are no throwaway games or laid-back outings.

“He is very conscious of his health,” Showalter said. “[He understands] the responsibility of pitching for the team. He knows everybody is depending on him on the day he pitches.”

It seemed like Verlander came close to perfection in a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon at Clover Park. He allowed only one hit in five scoreless innings, striking out eight batters. All four of his pitches -- slider, curveball, changeup and fastball -- were working sharply. Between the last out in the top of the second inning and the first out in the fourth, Verlander struck out five consecutive batters.

“It’s always good to match up against guys like [Verlander],” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s really good at what he does, and it’s good to see our guys with their approach and see how they handle it.”

The outing was close to impeccable, but Verlander, ever the perfectionist, wasn’t satisfied. There are always certain parts of his game he would like to improve on. On Wednesday, it was his slider.

“I need some work. I felt a little sloppy today,” Verlander said. “Spring Training isn’t necessarily about results. … Today was one of those days where I felt the slider was a bit loose. We need to tighten it up a little bit. … The slider was kind of rolling out of my hand a little bit. I was running away from it with my body.

“I didn’t quite have the reaction from the hitters I would like to see when it was on. I know they swung and missed a few of them. I had a few strikeouts with it. But they recognized the pitch. They had some good takes on it. The ones that they did swing and miss at, I felt they recognized the pitch just enough to stay back instead of going after it [like it was] a fastball.”

Verlander had a brief injury scare in the second, when Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson led off the inning with a sharp comebacker that hit Verlander's right calf. But Verlander managed to throw Burleson out on the play, and he retook the mound to finish the inning after a few warmup tosses. He doesn’t think the injury is serious.

“It’s going to be sore for a few days, but nothing I can’t manage,” Verlander said.

Once he finds the perfection he’s looking for, Verlander’s No. 1 goal is to win a World Series title with the Mets. On Tuesday, in fact, he had a conversation with David Robertson to find out what it was like to go all the way in the Big Apple. Robertson was a key part of the Yankees’ bullpen when they won their 27th championship in 2009.

“Obviously, in that city, it’s just iconic,” Verlander said about New York. “I don’t know what it would mean for my legacy … I know that’s why we play the game. You want to win a championship. If we were able to do that for [the Mets], that is the story that will live forever. It would be pretty special.”

Teammate Max Scherzer would also like to win a World Series title with Verlander. The pair came close in 2012 with the Tigers, winning the American League pennant, but they were swept by the Giants in the Fall Classic.

“Man, those Detroit teams were so good,” Scherzer remembered. “We felt we had all the pieces to do it. Baseball is a funny game, sometimes. It’s not just [Verlander] and I. All of our teammates are kicking ourselves, thinking, ‘Man, we wish the cookie broke a different way.’ We easily could have had a ring there in Detroit."