MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani free-agency clue, Dansby injury, JV return
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: Justin Verlander’s return to Houston didn’t go as planned
Justin Verlander received a warm welcome from Astros fans in his return to Houston on Tuesday, but his performance didn’t back that up. Verlander and the New York Mets have struggled so far this year, that’s no secret. Despite having the highest payroll in the sport — including a rotation backed by veterans JV and Scherzer — New York is far from a playoff spot, or first place in the NL East for that matter.
JV was the story for a short while, but the page quickly flipped to Framber Valdez, who proved Houston right for moving on from Verlander in the first place. Not only are Valdez’s numbers better than Verlander’s so far this season, but the former pitched far better than the aging ace head to head on Tuesday. Valdez improved to 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in his past six starts, and could very well make his second straight All-Star Game.
“He’s got four above-average pitches, and I think it’s really difficult to recognize spin off him,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said, per MLB.com. “That’s why you see some good hitters swinging at pitches that your first thought is, ‘Why are they swinging at that pitch?’ But the spin is so tight on it that there’s a lot of late recognition on the pitch and you don’t have that much time. I think that’s something that people miss about him is how late the recognition of the spin is on his two breaking balls.”
Valdez is 7-5 with an ERA under three on the season. After a tough stretch, Houston finally recorded its 40th win, the first milestone of what Dusty Baker hopes is many in their quest for a World Series repeat.