Astros rotation woes continue with Justin Verlander scratched from scheduled start

The Houston Astros have become accustomed to dominating the AL West division and being in prime position for a postseason spot. This year has been different, with a new manager, Joe Espada, leading the way. But perhaps one of the main factors has been injuries. No area was hit harder by injuries than Houston's starting rotation.

As of this writing, the Astros have Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers, and Luis Garcia all on the injured list. Jacier and Urquidy are both out for the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery. As if things couldn't get any worse, they received a troubling update on Saturday.

Justin Verlander won't be making his scheduled start on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers due to "neck discomfort," per The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Starting in Verlander's place will be Spencer Arrighetti.

Justin Verlander scratched from scheduled start Saturday due to neck discomfort

This isn't what Astros fans were expecting to hear at the start of their weekend. Verlander has already missed time at the start of the season due to a shoulder injury. Now, the question that remains is whether Verlander will miss any time due to this injury.

While speaking with reporters on Saturday, Verlander said that his neck tightened up a couple of weeks ago between starts. Verlander says he doesn't know of a timeline for when he should be good to go, but said that after talking with the team, the best way to go about it was to "let it fully resolve itself."

Verlander also says he believes the neck ailment has contributed to how he felt after his previous two starts. Verlander's comments come courtesy of MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

"When I was out there I felt like it wasn't really bothering me, but when I go home and sit down and really think about it, I think it's too much of a coincidence that my mechanics were thrown off at the same time I was dealing with this, so yeah, I do think that," said Verlander.

On June 3, Verlander allowed four earned runs on seven hits (three home runs) while issuing four strikeouts and two walks in five innings (104 pitches) against the St. Louis Cardinals. On June 9 against the Los Angeles Angels, Verlander allowed four earned runs on seven hits while issuing three strikeouts in five innings (101 pitches).

This season, Verlander owns a 3.95 ERA, a 1.211 WHIP, and a 3-2 win-loss record, while recording 51 strikeouts and 17 walks in 57.0 innings (10 starts).

We should get a better idea of how much time Verlander could miss (if at all) in the coming days. But Verlander won't be starting on Saturday against his former team.