Houston Astros: Justin Verlander trade proving wiser for multiple reasons

The Houston Astros addition of Justin Verlander at the waiver trade deadline is certainly looking like it was worth the wait.

The Houston Astros new ace threw eight innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, giving up a leadoff double in the first inning of the game to Brandon Phillips. After that he gave up one walk, no hits, and nine strikeouts as he gave the Astros much maligned bullpen (except for Ken Giles who pitched the ninth for his 30th save) a breather.

Since coming over, Verlander has given up one earned run in 14 innings with seven hits, two walks and 16 strikeouts. It’s possible that Verlander has supplanted Dallas Keuchel as the guy to start game one when we get to the divisional series.

That decision will be a tough emotional one for A.J. Hinch to make. Go with your franchise pitcher who’s a big reason for your team’s success over the past few years or the new guy who probably gives you the best chance to win given how he’s pitching.

But the addition of Verlander is not looking good only because of the numbers Verlander has put up in his two starts with us, but it was just announced that Lance McCullers Jr. was scratched from his start tonight due to “arm fatigue.”

While arm fatigue doesn’t sound that bad, keep in mind that’s the diagnosis Dallas Keuchel initially got last year at the end of August as the Astros tried to fight their way back into the playoff picture. It then turned out to be left shoulder inflammation and he was shut down for the rest of the season.

Maybe Keuchel would have pitched through it had we been closer to a playoff berth, but regardless it is not good news that McCullers Jr. has one start back and is already being scratched due to the generic arm fatigue. Here’s what McCullers had to say about it.

"The long layoff and only one or two bullpens before I got back in the rehab start — the rehab starts, you’re out there just to be here, to log the innings, to get the pitch count going. It’s not really an intense-type situation. It’s more of like just be there to be there, and when you get back in the game and you’re throwing those intense pitches and I didn’t bounce back over the week. I didn’t throw my bullpen type of thing. It was more of them [saying], ‘Hey, we got plenty of guys ready to start. You’re dealing with a little bit of arm fatigue and we’re going to skip you."

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Whether his arm fatigue is a big deal or not, this is exactly why the Astros needed to get someone like Verlander. Should McCullers be shut down for the remainder of the year and can’t pitch in the playoffs, Verlander affords us that luxury of missing him. Look at the difference in the rotation that would make.

You go from Keuchel, Colin McHugh, Charlie Morton and Mike Fiers or Brad Peacock as your four starters, to Keuchel, Verlander, McHugh and Morton. The difference between having Justin Verlander in game two over Colin McHugh is exponentially large.

That’s in no way a diss to McHugh, but we’re talking about a starting pitcher so good he won an MVP award, something very rarely given out to someone who doesn’t make their living swinging the bat.

His amazing performance combined with the depth he affords us should McCullers not recover like we would like him to gives us a shot in the playoffs even with the loss of one of our staff aces. That is why this trade was so important.

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Putting this alongside what are looking like the successful trades for Ken Giles and Brian McCann, even the most cynical of Houston sports fans can forgive Jeff Luhnow’s “Mea Culpa” in the Carlos Gomez fiasco. Verlander adds depth and talent that we need as we enter October. A trade that could yield rings come November.

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