In Sunday’s ALCS first game over the Texas Rangers, Justin Verlander was the loser. He did not fare as well as Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery, who pitched 6.1 innings without giving up any runs in the victory.
Verlander discussed the Rangers’ formidable offence and the issue of playing them after the game.
The issue arises from the fact that a lineup that deep makes it impossible to concentrate on a group of batters and declare, “If I don’t let them beat me, I’ll be good.” Each of their guys has a chance to defeat you. You have to play every game from 1 to 9,” Verlander stated.
Verlander’s comment is consistent with his Sunday experiences. Verlander gave up just one hit against Texas’ 1-4 hitters. However, in the 2-0 triumph, their bottom five hitters managed five hits and scored both runs. Leody Taveras, a nine-hitter, homered against Verlander, and six-hitter Jonah Heim added an RBI single.
Texas has a strong lineup, so if you try to take one pitch or one hitter off, they’ll win. Verlander experienced precisely that on Sunday. In Game 2, on Monday, even Framber Valdez found it difficult to deal with Texas’ lineup.
With 881 runs scored in the regular season, the Rangers lead the American League. That is only possible with a strong lineup.
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