In a crucially important game for the standings, the duel between former teammates Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer was expected to be quite a spectacle last night (Wednesday).
But this was far from being the case, among other things because of the setbacks of the latter. Indeed, Scherzer erred, allowing seven earned runs in just three innings of work.
Not quite what the Texas Rangers needed.
Jose Abreu’s third-inning grand slam was Houston’s third homer against the Texan starter, as the Houston Astros cruised to a 12-3 victory over the Rangers to complete the sweep in the crucial three-game series.
The more than convincing sweep put the Astros alone at the top of the American League West Division for the first time this season, one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners.
As for them, the Rangers are now out of the playoff picture, having been alone or tied for first in the division in 148 of the first 149 days of the season.
It’s not over, but let’s say I’ve been expecting it for over a month.
For his part, Verlander did an excellent job on the mound, allowing only one earned run on Marcus Semien’s long ball and sailing to his eleventh victory of this campaign.
We expected the same kind of start from Scherzer, but he failed at the worst moment. With a completely collapsed bullpen, it will be difficult for the Rangers to keep up the pace.
It was the first meeting between starting pitchers with at least 3,000 strikeouts since Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox faced Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees on Sept. 16, 2007.
Let’s say that this duel was much less disappointing than the one we saw last night.
