Astros manager Dusty Baker admits $86,600,000 Justin Verlander's struggles following series loss against Athletics - “They were all over him"

The Houston Astros' schedule for the next two weeks was ideal, but that didn't guarantee victory. That was obvious on Tuesday when they lost the series against bottom-ranked Oakland Athletics.

Thus, a perplexing season proceeded, and as a result, the divisional race became more competitive. Tuesday's lackluster 6-2 defeat to the Athletics by Houston allowed the Texas Rangers to close the gap on first place in the American League West to just one game.

Moreover, the Seattle Mariners are 1 1/2 games behind Houston and have the advantage in tiebreakers.

Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS [TODAY] September 12, 2023

Astros' manager Dusty Baker, stated, "It doesn't matter who you're playing if a guy is dealing on the mound out there -- and that's what they were doing. They pitched a hell of a game against us."

Manager Dusty Baker reportedly shared with The Athletic,

"They were all over him. They were on his fastball, and some of his breaking balls."

In his eighth start since being acquired from the New York Mets in a trade, Justin Verlander gave up eight hits and five runs while striking out seven batters over seven innings. Over 27 career regular-season starts against the Athletics, Verlander is 16-7 with a 2.49 ERA. In five playoff appearances against the A's in his career, he is also 4-0 with a stellar 1.24 ERA.

After Tuesday's defeat, Verlander was questioned about how shocking the first two games of this series were. In reply, Astros ace Justin Verlander said,

"You don’t want to panic over two games. Obviously, you would like to win those games against a team that hasn’t been as good as us this season, but you’re not guaranteed anything."

Houston Astros and Justin Verlander's reunion

In 2022, three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander agreed to a two-year, $86.6 million deal with the New York Mets. But in August 2023, The Astros and New York Mets came to terms with a deal for Justin Verlander, bringing the current American League Cy Young Award winner back to Houston.

The Astros are reuniting with Justin Verlander.⁠Houston agreed to a deal to acquire the three-time Cy Young award winner from the New York Mets ahead of MLB’s trade deadline Tuesday, bolstering its rotation for a stretch run, according to multiple reports. ⁠Verlander pitched in parts of five seasons for the Astros, from 2017 to 2022, before signing a two-year, $86.66 million deal with the Mets last offseason.⁠ - houstonchron

Eight months after leaving Houston and signing a two-year contract with the Mets, Justin Verlander is back with the Astros, reuniting him with the team he worked with to win two World Series championships in 2017 and 2022.