(SportsRadio 610) - In the regular season, Astros ace and AL Cy Young frontrunner Justin Verlander dominated the Seattle Mariners.
He went 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA over 42.1 innings pitched against them in 2022. But it was a different story Tuesday in the ALDS opener at Minute Maid Park.
The Mariners, riding the high of a seven-run comeback to advance from the wild-card round against the Toronto Blue Jays, jumped on Verlander early and often. Julio Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk and Cal Raleigh brought him home with a single a few batters later. Rodriguez doubled to score in the second inning and Ty France singled to score Rodriguez.
Seattle led Houston 4-0 after two innings and Verlander had already thrown 49 pitches.
Verlander settled in with a clean, 10-pitch third inning and struck out the first two Seattle batters in the fourth. He seemed to be settling in nicely.
Then J.P. Crawford, Seattle's ninth hitter, homered on a 93 mph fastball to right field. Rodriguez followed that up with a triple to center field and France drove him in with a double to left.
Eugenio Suarez hit a line drive single to left, but Yordan Alvarez threw out France at home plate to end the inning.
Still, the Astros trailed 6-2 after four innings from Verlander.
Houston scored runs in the third inning on a two-RBI double by Alvarez, then a solo homer to the Crawford Boxes by Yuli Gurriel in the fourth inning.
Astros reliever Bryan Abreu replaced Verlander in the fifth.
Brandon Scott is the editor for SportsRadio610.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott. Reach him directly via email: brandon.scott@audacy.com.
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