"I wasn’t very good" - Justin Verlander reflects on Yankees humbling as Astros' tough start continues
It was a night to forget for Justin Verlander as the veteran ace suffered an underwhelming outing against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The Houston Astros faltered against the Bronx Bombers as their pitching woes continued at the Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees' power-packed offense rocked the veteran pitcher as he surrendered three home runs, resulting in his worst outing against the team's AL rivals. It all started with Alex Verdugo's three-run home run at the bottom of the first inning.
The Yanks were hot at-bats as they took the right pitches from the Astros ace, and walked when necessary. Anthony Volpe smashed a 2-run homer while Giancarlo Stanton smashed a solo blast. Before the sixth inning, Verlander surrendered seven earned runs, his most against the Yankees in his storied career.
“They had a good approach, and I wasn’t very good. The walks showed me I was a little off. These guys showed me today that I got some work to do," Justin Verlander said.
The future Hall of Fame contender said he has a lot of work to do to improve his performance in the upcoming games.
"Starting tomorrow I have a lot of work to do. I got to be more deceptive," Verlander continued.
Luis Gil outshines Justin Verlander
The Yankees starter Luis Gil was in spectacular form as he took out the Astros in style. Gil outshined Justin Verlander on the mound after pitching six strong innings. Gil surrendered a home run in the first inning, but that was his last for the day as he recorded five strikeouts and four walks.
The 25-year-old pitcher said he used more of his secondary pitches since his fastball command was missing. Despite a rough start, Gil got enough support from the plate.
"The command of my fastball wasn't where I wanted it. So I had to use secondary pitches more," Gil said.
When asked about competing with a Cy-Young winner, Gil said he saw it as a motivation to go out and pitch against some of the best pitchers in the world. The Yankees pitcher has a 3-1 record with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Gill recorded 45 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched.
The Yankees will turn in southpaw Carlos Rodon for their second battle against the Astors at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.