Justin Verlander’s past suggests World Series future could be a dark one

The Houston Astros seem to be on a good track to win another World Series, but they could face issues with ace Justin Verlander.

The Houston Astros are favored to win the World Series for a reason. After finishing the regular season with the second-best record of the entire league (106-56), they’re about to face the surprising Philadelphia Phillies, whose regular-season record of 87-75 did not suggest a deep playoff run was looming.

However, the Astros could be in more trouble than they seem.

According to Luke Arcaini of the Liberty Line, Houston ace Justin Verlander has had unfavorable World Series results.

He Tweeted, “Justin Verlander has made 7 career starts in the World Series…4 with Houston, 3 with Detroit. (38 IP) 0-6, 5.68 ERA, 24 ER, 35 H, 1.289 WHIP.”

The Astros are going to need their pitchers to be nearly perfect if they want to take down the Phillies powerful lineup. The Phillies have had incredible offense during their postseason run, and considering this is their first time in the playoffs since 2011, they’re hungry for a World Series title.

Philadelphia is the reason the Atlanta Braves aren’t going for their second-straight World Series, despite the Braves finishing the regular season atop the NL East. They also mustered a five-game series win over the Padres in the NLCS.

Their raw power is unmatched, and they’re playing on their strengths in ways that no level of pitching can protect.

Verlander is the most reliable pitcher in Houston, but his World Series stats are not nearly what they should be.

Astros may be less likely to win the World Series than they seem

For the Astros to win, they’ll need to have immaculate pitching from a rotation that’s proven quite solid over the course of the postseason. But Houston can’t afford to fall behind against this Phillies team. Run support — and extra padding for that matter — is no issue for this team.

In particular, Game 3 of the NLDS felt like a home run derby for the Phils.

They had an incredible performance with six runs in the third inning. Rhys Hoskins hit a three-run homer, then Bryce Harper hit another massive home run that helped lead the team to victory over the Braves.

In a seven-game series, the Astros hope they can count on Verlander at least twice. However, in his previous World Series appearance with the Tigers and even Houston, he hasn’t fared well.

Perhaps this time around will be different. The stats suggest otherwise.