“It Is Embarrassing” – Ben Verlander Slams the Astros Despite Justin Verlander’s Upcoming Debut

The day is finally here! Justin Verlander will be making his 2024 debut against the Washington Nationals on Friday. But while the Houston Astros’ legendary ace is preparing for a comeback, the Astronauts haven’t been flying high. The team currently sits at the bottom of the AL West with an abysmal .300 winning record. That is “concerning” as noted by Ben Verlander – the brother of the ace.

Ben Verlander discussed Shohei Ohtani and the return of Justin Verlander on Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander. While Verlander was extremely happy with his brother finally making his debut, he decided to be a little cautious about the entire thing. “I honestly don’t care if he gives up a bunch of runs. Obviously, I’d rather him pitch well. I just want him to come out of it healthy,” Ben Verlander said.

However, while he chose to be cautious for Justin Verlander, Ben didn’t have kind words for the Astros. While he believes that the Astros can make playoffs, he found their start a little concerning. “It is embarrassing what is happening there in Houston with the pitching, with the bullpen. The offense ranks one of the best in baseball, they are third in all of baseball in batting average. That is how bad their pitching has been,” Verlander said.

Ben Verlander then noted that the Astros team ERA (6.62) from the eighth inning on is the worst in baseball. In short, Verlander couldn’t understand why the Astros pitchers were struggling so much. But he hoped that they’d be back to their best soon after the return of Justin and some of their other pitchers.

However, while Verlander is still confident about the Astros’ playoff ambition the signs haven’t been positive for the team. But luckily for them, the rest of the AL West hasn’t been much better.

Can Justin Verlander affect the current AL West standings?

As of now, the Texas Rangers stand on top of the division with an 11-9 record. The team is barely clinging on to that over .500 record. Interestingly, apart from them, no other AL West team has a winning record currently. The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels both sit with a 9-10 record. Then the Oakland A’s come with an 8-11 record. So in a way, the doors are still open for the Astros.

However, the gross inconsistencies that the team has displayed need to be dealt with quickly. Despite impressive offense, a below-average defense is ruining the Astros’ chances. Out of all the teams that have missed their aces, the Astros have been the ones to have been affected the most. But now that Justin Verlander is back, could he lead the team back to the promised land? He may or may not but it certainly will be interesting to see him try.