As right-hander Ronel Blanco labored for 3 2/3 innings in the Houston Astros' 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the return of veteran right-hander Justin Verlander gained an additional measure of significance.
Verlander will make his first start since June 9 when host Houston and Boston meet on Wednesday afternoon for the rubber match of a three-game series.
Neck discomfort landed Verlander (3-2, 3.95 ERA) on the 15-day injured list back on June 18. With his arm back in the fold, the Astros will utilize a six-man rotation for the immediate future, a strategy that should lighten the workload for Blanco and rookie Spencer Arrighetti, both of whom are in uncharted waters as big-leaguers.
"It's big getting JV on the mound. It's getting one of the best back in there," Houston manager Joe Espada said. "We know what he means. We know he's part of this winning culture and getting him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch."
The Astros did not announce a pitch count for Verlander against the Red Sox, but they will exercise caution. Verlander, 41, has worked only 57 innings this season after tossing 162 1/3 for Houston and the New York Mets in 2023, his lowest total in a 162-game season since he threw 133 1/3 innings for the Detroit Tigers in 2015.
"We'll see how the outing goes and how efficient he is," Espada said. "I don't want to put a number because he can surprise us. But we're going to keep a close eye on his workload for sure."
Verlander is 6-6 with a 2.74 ERA over 20 career starts against the Red Sox.
Right-hander Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.56) will start for Boston in the series finale on Wednesday.
It will be the first start since July 23 for Criswell, who is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA and a blown save over his past five relief appearances. Criswell made 12 consecutive starts before his most recent stint out of the bullpen and went 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA during that stretch. The start against the Astros will mark his fourth consecutive road appearance.
Criswell will be making his first career appearance against Houston.
The Red Sox pulled out all the stops to even this three-game series on Tuesday, needing a monster 4-for-4 performance from center fielder Jarren Duran atop the order plus a 2-for-3 showing from first baseman Triston Casas, who homered, walked twice and drove in three runs.
Mix in a bullpen that allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings, and Boston found a successful formula to defeat the Astros for the first time in five games this season to set the table for a potential series victory.
"We knew we were gonna have our hands full coming into the week, with this series (against Houston)," Casas said. "We're playing good baseball, and (Tuesday) was a full team effort."
The Red Sox have won three of their past five games, while the Astros have won 11 of their past 13, with four of those victories coming against Boston.
