HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Aledmys Diaz carries a reputation for being an excellent fastball hitter, so when facing him in a simulated game on Sunday morning, Justin Verlander made sure to give him a heavy dose of that pitch.
"I talked to Diaz after (it was over), and he said the fastball was getting on him," Verlander said.
Verlander faced Diaz and Trey Cabbage in a 37-pitch, two inning simulated game. He threw all his pitches, and his fastball velocity touched 94 MPH.
"I thought all of his pitches looked really good," Astros manager Joe Espada said.
Verlander said he is on a normal 5-6 day routine, so he'll throw a bullpen during the week and then go out on a rehab assignment next weekend. He will need more than one start to build up his pitch count.
The Astros placed Verlander on the injured on June 16 with neck discomfort after he was scratched from a start against the Detroit Tigers the day before. It's not an injury he has dealt with before, but it is one that has taught him a lot.
"I've learned a lot about my posture, especially at 41 years old," Verlander said. "You end up getting into some compensatory positions that you don't even realize you're in until something happens, so this brought a lot of awareness to my posture, and I feel like it's been very beneficial, especially to my mechanics.
"Interestingly, as I fix my neck posture, my back posture, it's given me some more mobility in my arm scaps, upper back, and I feel a little bit more free and easy than I did before the injury, so maybe a blessing in disguise. I hope so."
In 10 starts this season Verlander is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA. Shoulder inflammation forced him to start the season on the injured list, and he is almost guaranteed to fall short of the 140 innings he needs to throw in order to trigger his $35 million option for 2025.
