Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros Box Score, Summary and Team Stats – June 16, 2024 Gametracker

The Houston Astros scratched veteran right-hander Justin Verlander from his scheduled start Saturday, continuing the season-long injury problems with their rotation.

Verlander has been experiencing neck pain in recent weeks. The Astros decided that skipping his turn in the rotation could provide him with a path to recovery. Houston lost 13-5 to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, winning this three-game series and hosting the rubber match on Sunday afternoon.

The Astros lost starters Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy to season-ending elbow surgeries. Javier first landed on the injured list with neck discomfort before his elbow issues.

“It’s not ideal,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “You don’t want to hear any of your players suffering anywhere. I’m not going to go into detail if it’s the same trajectory as Javier. We’re going to let JV let us know how he feels, and we’ll just do it to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Injuries to starters have left the Astros’ depth virtually non-existent. Losing Verlander to the IL or for any extended period of time could prove cataclysmic.

“It’s tough because of the starters that lost for us and the fact that every game means more to us right now because of the position we’re in,” Espada said. “But I still feel like we have some depth. But it’s just not what you want to hear right now during this stretch.”

While the Astros opted not to name a starter for Sunday, right-hander Ronel Blanco (6-2, 2.67 ERA) could take the mound on regular rest. He ended a two-game losing streak against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday after allowing one run on three hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in six innings in the Astros’ 3-1 win over the road. Before his skid, Blanco was 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA.

Blanco has made two career appearances against the Tigers. He worked three scoreless innings, allowing two hits while posting three strikeouts without recording a decision.

Right-hander Kenta Maeda (2-2, 5.89 ERA) is expected to start the rubber for Detroit. This will be Maeda’s second start since leaving his game against the Texas Rangers on June 5 due to right abdominal discomfort after throwing only two pitches.

Maeda allowed one run on one hit and four walks with five strikeouts in four innings Tuesday, but sat out the decision in a 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals in 10 innings .

The Tigers won three of his four starts last month despite Maeda posting a 6.62 ERA.

Maeda is 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. In his previous start against them on August 8, 2021, Maeda allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts in five innings in a 5-4 victory while pitching for the Twins. Minnesota.

Getting Maeda on track after his two-pitch outing remains one of the Tigers’ main goals. He has struggled with consistency, posting two starts last month in which he allowed a combined run in 11 innings and two others where he gave up 12 runs in 6 2/3 innings.

“The biggest thing in the last start was improving his stamina,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Obviously we need him to execute better and better, so after that two-pitch outing physically, we wanted him to go through his outing, build up a little bit. He had two to three weeks really agitated.”

–Field level media