HOUSTON — Justin Verlander missed almost two months this summer with a neck injury.
After his latest tough start on Friday night in Houston’s 9-7 win over the Angels, the 41-year-old right-hander said he should have taken more time to recover.
“I think I came back from the neck injury a little fast,” he said. “Obviously I know the schedule, I know the calendar and I want to be an asset for this team and to do that I need to be able to pitch and find out where I’m at. Obviously, the results have not been good, but there’s nothing you can do besides trying to pitch.”
Verlander gave up eight hits and six runs in 4⅔ innings. It’s the third time in four starts where the three-time Cy Young Award winner has allowed eight hits and at least five runs.
His struggles have led some to speculate that he could be left off the playoff roster for the AL West leaders, whose magic number dropped to four with Friday’s win.
Manager Joe Espada deflected when asked after the game if he thought that Verlander could help the team in the postseason.