Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander scratched against Detroit Tigers

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander has been scratched from his scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, the team announced.

Spencer Arrighetti, who was scheduled to start Sunday, will now pitch Saturday. Manager Joe Espada told reporters the Astros would skip Verlander in the rotation, so he wouldn’t start Sunday either.

Verlander told reporters he had been dealing with neck discomfort for a few weeks, although it didn’t cause him to miss an appearance until Saturday.

“I was able to get through it, but I talked to the coaches and the team about the few days off we had about it, I thought it would probably be best to try really get over the hump and hopefully solve this problem for good,” Verlander said.

The 41-year-old right-hander said that if the Astros were in the playoffs, he would probably continue to pitch because of neck stiffness, but that he’s “trying not to be stupid about it.”

Verlander is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA, 1.211 WHIP, 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.5 WAR in 10 starts in 2024. He has only made his debuted in the season until April 19 after suffering a shoulder injury during the offseason.

As one of the most accomplished pitchers in the game, every game Verlander pitches automatically becomes a high-level game. Saturday’s confrontation, however, promised to be very special, given that it took place against his former team.

Verlander got his start in Detroit and played for the Tigers from 2005 to 2017. During that span, he became a Rookie of the Year, a Cy Young, an MVP and a six-time All-Star, with a record of 183-114 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.191 WHIP and 56.6 WAR.

The Tigers eventually traded Verlander to the Astros in 2017, and he won his first World Series title that same season. Verlander went on to make three more All-Star appearances in Houston, winning two more Cy Youngs and a second World Series, although Tommy John surgery limited him to just one start between 2020 and 2021.

Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7 million contract with the New York Mets before the 2023 season, only to be traded to the Astros a few months later.

During his time with the Astros, Verlander went 71-24 with a 2.48 ERA, 0.885 WHIP and 23.1 WAR. He leads all active pitchers in career wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Verlander is 4-3 with a 2.35 ERA, 0.717 WHIP and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in seven career starts against the Tigers. The future Hall of Famer won’t have the opportunity to add to those numbers this weekend, and it remains to be seen when he’ll next take the mound.

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