by RICARDO
In case you forgot about Baseball already, the Justin Verlander to Houston trade should be the reason you start to pay attention again.
In a day filled with surprising moves across the sport, the AL leading Houston Astros, a team and city still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, may have just won the World Series……. in September.
Similar to the 01′ Yankees, 09′ Saints and ’13 Red Socks, the Astros, a team with a dream to win it all; just landed the guy that could bring it all together this season; Mr ‘Pitching Triple Crown’ himself – Justin Verlander.
Now, while he’s not exactly making Cy Young strides nowadays, Verlander has managed to put together a respectable season with a 3.82 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 28 starts.
Since May, his ERA has dropped to 3.24.
And oh yeah, since the All-Star break, Verlander is fifth in K’s per nine, fourth in OPS allowed, third in the AL in ERA, second in WHIP and second in batting average for AL pitchers.
In short, the 34-year-old should still be considered one of the most feared postseason pitchers with a career 3.39 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 16 career starts in the playoffs.
Keeping in mind the historic pace the Dodgers are on out west; the respective years the Yankees and Red Sox have put together in the AL East; and all the lure of the Chicago Cubs over in the NL, the playoffs are truly shaping up to be something special.
Houston now possesses the youthful and vibrant offense needed to put up points in October, alongside the patient and skilled pitching needed to win it all.
On the other end of the Verlander trade, the Tigers received pitching prospect, left-hander Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers.
