Hall of Fame pitcher supports Justin Verlander amid Astros playoff roster debate

In what's been an especially difficult past month, most Houston Astros fans agree that there is at least cause for concern with Justin Verlander and his potential inclusion in Houston's playoff rotation this season. While his career track record is beyond reproach, the fact is that Verlander doesn't look anything like a guy the Astros can trust in the postseason right now, let alone the pitcher he once was.

Before Saturday's outing vs the Angels, in the four starts Verlander has made since returning to Astros' rotation on August 21, he posted a 9.68 ERA and an only slightly more encouraging 5.38 FIP in 17.2 innings of work.

By almost every metric, Verlander has taken a huge step back and one wonders if the combination of his age and the neck injury that kept him out for over two months was too much to overcome. His five innings of work in a win over the Angels on Saturday was encouraging (2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB), but that doesn't necessarily change the overall picture.

While most are coming around to the idea that the Astros need to look in a different direction for the playoffs, Verlander has a Hall of Fame pitcher in his corner as John Smoltz still thinks that Verlander will figure things out once the postseason arrives.

John Smoltz believes Justin Verlander can still make an impact for Astros

Look, we get it. Smoltz is the type of guy that is always going to bet on experience in these sorts of discussions and we love the optimism. When asked about Verlander's potential inclusion on the playoff roster, he said, "Justin Verlander would be a bonus. I think his injuries have taken a toll on his year this year, but I'm not counting them out to figure it out. I would bank on him figuring it out."

It isn't that betting on a healthy, but still old Verlander is a bad idea. While he wouldn't boast the overpowering stuff that he once had, the guy still knows how to pitch and attack hitters. The problem is that it seems like Verlander isn't fully healthy based on how rough he has looked since coming off the IL, and that is a problem.

As for the odds that the Astros will actually exclude Verlander once the playoffs arrive, that is a different question entirely. Despite a clear case that Houston would be better off without Verlander in the postseason, the organization may respect him and his career too much to make that move especially given Verlander's strong relationship with owner Jim Crane.

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