Inside the Astros

What Should Houston Astros Expect In Ace's Return?

Justin Verlander is finally making his season debut for the Houston Astros.

Tyler Maher

Mar 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) waves to the crowd.
Mar 28, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) waves to the crowd. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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After weeks of seemingly endless bad news, the Houston Astros finally have something to look forward to on Friday. Justin Verlander will make his season debut on the road against the Washington Nationals after missing the first three weeks of the regular season with shoulder inflammation.

The Astros are hoping that Verlander's return can give their slumping team a much-needed spark and provide some stability to the starting rotation. Houston enters play on Friday last in the AL West at 6-14. Only the Chicago White Sox have a worse record in the American League.

The Astros have struggled to effectively replace Verlander and other injured starting pitchers like Framber Valdez. Not only is Verlander the team's ace, but he's also a three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer.

That said, Verlander needs to prove he can still perform at that level.

He's 41 now and struggled in both of his minor-league rehab starts, going 0-2 with 13 runs (11 earned) and 14 hits allowed in seven innings.

Houston has reason to worry that Verlander might be nearing the end of the line after 18 big-league seasons and over 500 career starts.

Fortunately, he has a relatively easy matchup in Friday's World Series rematch against the Nationals, who rank last in the National League in both runs and hits. Even if he doesn't dominate, Verlander should be able to keep the Astros in the game, and will likely pitch around four or five innings.

Compared to how Houston's other starting pitchers have been performing lately, manager Joe Espada will take whatever he can get.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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