Astros rotation evaluation: Verlander’s gem leads the way

Justin Verlander – Pitches/Start: 84 | Strike %: 66.5 | Pitches per out: 4.3 | Game Score: 73

If this is how you pitch after Tommy John surgery and with 624 days between starts, perhaps everyone should give it a try.

The fallacy of the won-loss record is evident as Verlander sits at 1-1. Coming off Tommy John, Verlander has averaged 84 pitches across his first two starts, and after struggling a bit with command in his first outing, he found the zone on 73.6% of his pitches in start No. 2.

The game score of 84, the strike percentage and the pitches per out (3.6) were all season bests for the team, as was the eight innings pitched.