Astros' Verlander Reaches Player Option Threshold in Win Over Guardians

Justin Verlander reached 130 innings Thursday, kicking in his 2023 player option, in the Houston Astros' win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Verlander reached 130 innings on the year in his Thursday start. At age 39, the righty now holds a $25 million player option for the 2023 season but has made no reported decision to pick up or decline following this year.

Verlander struck out five batters in six innings, yielding two hits and one walk on 96 pitches. The righty improved his ERA to a season-low 1.73 and won his 241st-career game, tying him him with Herb Pennock for 55th all-time.

Will Smith relieved Verlander for the seventh inning for back-to-back days on the rubber. The lefty tossed a clean frame with one strikeout as he has found low leverage in both outings.

Houston Astros Right Fielder Chas McCormick / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

At the plate, Chas McCormick and Martín Maldonado combined for six RBI en route to an improved showing from the bottom third of the order. McCormick drove home Yordan Álvarez on a single to get the offense going in the third inning.

McCormick also scored Alex Bregman in the fifth on a his second RBI-single, before Maldonado cleared the bases on a double two batters later. The two weren't done there, launching back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning — both the 11th on their respective seasons.

Prior to the contest, Kyle Tucker was scratched with an illness. Manager Dusty Baker hopes to have his right fielder available Friday but has not disclosed when Tucker will be available again.

Defensively, the Astros had two collisions between Mauricio Dubón and Aledmys Díaz and then Díaz and Jake Meyers following a defensive shift in the ninth inning. All three players remained in the game after their respective incidents.

In their seventh road shut out of the year, the Astros opened a four-game set with a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians, improving to 69-38. The two clubs return to play at 6:10 p.m. Friday with Framber Valdez toeing the rubber.

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