Houston Astros veteran Justin Verlander was ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers at the last minute due to neck discomfort.
Verlander was scheduled to begin his matchup with the Tigers at Minute Maid Park on Saturday afternoon. Instead, it was Spencer Arrighetti who started on the mound.
The issue, manager Joe Espada said, is something Verlander has been struggling with for a few weeks now.
“He’s been dealing with this for the last two weeks, trying to get over it,” Espada said before the game, via KeynoteUSA. “And we felt like it would be smart if we could take a break here, skip a start and try to get to the bottom of it.”
Verlander, 41, is currently being considered day-to-day. The team is hoping he doesn’t have to go on the injured list.
Verlander, who spent the first 12 years of his career with the Tigers after they selected him with the second overall pick in 2004, said he also had to cut a bullpen session short Wednesday because of his neck problem.
Justin Verlander has apparently been dealing with his neck injury for the past few weeks. (Ronald Martínez//Keynote USA/Getty Images)
“It wasn’t worse. It just turned me on a little bit,” he said Saturday. “And after a couple of my games, it’s been a little stiff and then I was able to get over it and throw and do everything I needed to do. But during the bullpen, it turned on me a little bit. “A little bit and I just pulled the chute and “I tried not to be stupid and push him like I normally would.”
Verlander has a 3.95 ERA and a 3-2 record in 10 starts so far this season. He allowed four runs on five hits in his most recent start last Sunday, when the Astros lost to the Los Angeles Angels.
Without Verlander on the mound, the Astros struggled. The Tigers took a 10-0 lead after just three innings, and Arrighetti was pulled in the second after allowing seven runs. The Tigers then cruised to a 13-5 victory in which they had 19 hits. The loss, Houston’s fourth in its last six, left the Astros with a 32-39 record on the season.
Arrighetti was scheduled to start Sunday against the Tigers. It’s unclear who will take his place to close out the three-game series.
“Missing a start is not something you want to happen,” Verlander said. “But honestly, day-to-day is a good thing… and you have to trust the coaches, trust everyone you’re talking to, and I think the prognosis is pretty good. So I can’t give it a grade.” “. but I feel good”.
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