Houston Astros: New additions shined bright last night

The Houston Astros waited until the last second to add veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin and future hall of famer Justin Verlander to their roster prior to the waiver trade deadline.

The Houston Astros have to be happy based on the way those two acquisitions performed last night. Let’s start with the obvious player to analyze first, Justin Verlander.

Verlander threw six innings and while he got into a bit of trouble in a couple innings, he was able to strikeout seven batters and limit the damage to a Kyle Seager solo home run in his time on the mound.

Here’s what Verlander had to say after the game about his Houston Astros debut:

"A lot of nerves, a lot of excitement. I think the closest thing I can compare it to is Opening Day kind of nerves. The unknown — don’t really want to let everybody down, new team. These guys have made the process pretty easy on me so far, just fitting in and feeling like I’m right at home as quickly as possible."

Despite those nerves he pitched quite well and his opening start for us was a nice affirmation that we made the right move trading for Verlander.

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Cameron Maybin on the other hand is looking like an intriguing pick-up as well. It’s hard to believe that he was the center piece of that Florida Marlins-Detroit Tigers trade for Miguel Cabrera oh so long ago.

While Maybin has only gone three for 14 in his short time with us, two of his hits have been clutch home runs. One was a three run homer on Sunday September third against the New York Mets that turned a four-three deficit into a six-four lead for the team after trailing four-one in the third inning.

The other home run was last night as the game was tied at one and the Astros were in the process of being no-hit through the seventh inning when Maybin hit a go-ahead two run home run that gave the Astros a lead they would not relinquish.

While Verlander is obviously the prized piece we picked up and showed exactly why we wanted him with his pitching performance last evening, Maybin is a great option off the bench with his defensive ability and speed as well as his ability to occasionally knock one out of the ball park.

Next: Fiers and roster expansion helps out bullpen

While the team struggled through the month of August, they have gone undefeated in September since making these acquisitions. The team looks revitalized as a result, playing like they were at the beginning of the year. And with Lance McCullers Jr. returning tonight, it’s looking like everything is coming together at the right time for the Houston Astros.

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