Justin Verlander has pitched better of late. (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)
DETROIT — Justin Verlander’s near no-hitter not only gave the Detroit Tigers a tension-packed thrill ride for a night. It provided real hope for the future.
Verlander came up just shy in his bid for a third career no-hitter Wednesday when Los Angeles Angels’ Chris Iannetta lined a double that bounced off the left-field foul line. The rest of Verlander’s outing showed what he can do when healthy.
For much of the last two-plus seasons, Verlander looked like nothing more than a mediocre pitcher, belying his gargantuan long-term contract. Suddenly, he’s got the look of an ace again, even if he can’t dial up his fastball quite as high on the radar gun.
“I knew he still had it in him,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “I knew his stuff was plenty good enough. He’s not 98 to 100 (miles per hour) but he still tops out at 97, which is pretty darn good, and I knew he had four pitches that he could use. I knew it was there and it was nice to see it.”
Until recently, it seemed that Verlander might never regain the form he displayed during 2011, when he captured the American League’s Most Valuable Player award. He was 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA the following season but was just 13-12 with a 3.64 ERA in 2013.
It was revealed afterward that Verlander wasn’t close to 100 percent physically, as he required core muscle surgery during the offseason. The surgery prevented him from doing his usual offseason routine, and Verlander never found a groove last season, going 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA. He gave up more hits than innings pitched and failed to reach 200 strikeouts for the first time in six seasons.
He felt primed for a comeback this past offseason, then was set back by a strained right triceps and didn’t make his season debut until June 13.
“I put in a lot of work,” Verlander said. “It was tough going on the DL at the beginning of the year. I felt great in spring training and then I go on the DL for two months for the first time in my career when I felt as good as I had in a couple years. Then I come back and it’s not as crisp as I would like. (But) I could kind of see it coming. I started to feel better, the swings and misses and guys’ reactions to the balls the way I’d like to see it, so it feels great.”
Verlander’s 2-6 record is a product of poor run support. He has allowed one or no earned runs in six of his last seven starts. New general manager Al Avila can now feel comfortable about the top spot in the rotation as he looks to upgrade the staff in the offseason.
It’s also comforting to Verlander that he can dominate again.
“You can’t listen to the naysayers,” he said. “You’ve just got to go out there and do what you can, work your butt off and believe. It’s not easy to stay strong mentally when things aren’t going your way but you have to do it.”
