*Photo from News TV USA*
We all knew the Houston Astros were going to be good this season, but one name in particular has become more dominant than expected. Martin Maldonado hit a grand slam, Justin Verlander dazzled, and the Astros shut out the Oakland Athletics with a 5-0 victory on Saturday afternoon in Houston.
In his start, Verlander shined, pitching 6 shutout innings while allowing 6 hits and striking out 10 hitters in a win. Phil Maton struck out two hitters in the 7th inning, followed by shutout innings from both Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu, who both combined for 4 strikeouts themselves.
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said of Verlander's start "That's classic Justin. Life on the fastball, and he threw a lot of breaking balls today and used the curveball, he had working to keep guys off his fastball. You watch those guys that are the best in the game, and they elevate themselves when you get runners in scoring position, and you saw that today. That’s why he’s still pitching at 39 and still having success. He’s pretty tough to beat."
Coming off Tommy John Surgery that held him out in 2020 and 2021, Verlander has shined this season, despite being given extra rest between his starts most of the time to keep his workload in check. He's won 12 games now this season, leading the major leagues and is a member of the AL all star team. This was his 238th win of his career, moving him into 61st place in the all time wins list.
Wearing their city connect Space City Jerseys, the Astros bounced back from a loss to the A's on Friday night, improving to a 59-31 record and entering Sunday with 6 wins in their last 10 games, entering the all star break on a high note. Two homers was all Verlander needed on the mound.
The offense started early in this one for the Astros. In the second inning, with the bases loaded, Maldonado hit a home run to center field, with his grand slam giving the Astros an early 4-0 lead. A few innings later, Chas McCormick hit a solo home run in the 4th inning, adding to the Astros lead to make it a 5-0 ballgame, which remained intact for the rest of the game.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Verlander that "He has that inner drive that you can’t really teach somebody, especially with a guy that’s had the success that he’s had. A lot of people would have just called it in but this guy, he loves to pitch and he loves to compete. We’re glad that he’s put in the time and effort and glad that we’ve got him back."
Getting the start for the A's was rookie Jared Koenig, who once again was hit around in another loss. Koenig fell to 1-3 on the season after allowing 5 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings pitched. Kirby Snead came on for the 8th and delivered a shutout inning of relief.
Up next, the Astros and Athletics conclude their series on Sunday before the all star break starts. Jake Odorizzi gets the ball for the Astros, while Adam Oller goes for Oakland.
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