HOUSTON — Justin Verlander missed nearly two months this summer with a neck injury.
The 41-year-old right-hander, who struggled in Houston's 9-7 win over the Angels on Friday night, said he should have taken more time to recover.
“I think I'm coming back a little early from my neck injury,” he said. “Obviously, I know the schedule and the dates, and I want to contribute to the team. To do that, I need to pitch and see how I'm doing. Of course, the results aren't great, but there's nothing I can do other than pitch.”
Verlander gave up six runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
It marked the third time the three-time Cy Young Award winner has allowed eight hits and five or more runs in four starts.
His struggles have led some to speculate he could be left out of the playoff roster for the AL West leaders, whose magic number dropped to four with Friday's win.
Manager Joe Espada evaded questions after the game when asked if he thought Verlander could contribute to the team in the postseason.
“I've been talking to you guys every day,” he said. “I'm not going to get into the playoff impact. We're trying to get to the playoffs, right? And we're trying to put our guys in a position to be successful so we can get to the playoffs.”
Verlander was placed on the disabled list on June 15 and returned on August 21.
Since his return, he has won just one of his six starts, and has not pitched more than five innings in any of them.
“It's tough because I haven't been feeling well since I came back,” he said, “but I've had some tough times in my career so I had to find a way to get through them.”
Verlander received a thunderous ovation as he walked off the mound Friday night in his final home start of the season.
He slapped his chest and waved to the crowd before entering the dugout.
“The fans know the game well and they're following it,” he said. “They know I'm working hard and giving it my all. I've been trying as hard as I can to bounce back from my injury as quickly as possible and get back in the game, and it was really touching to see the fans applaud me after such a tough day.”
Verlander, in his 20th season in the MLB, said this season has been one of the most difficult of his illustrious career, going 4-6 with a 5.55 ERA in 16 starts this year.
“Every time I pitched I felt like I was getting a little closer to where I wanted to be,” he said, “but I'm far from consistent, and you can see that in the results. At this level, there's not much margin for error. Today, the first few innings, I felt like I got where I wanted to be, where I was looking for, but then it obviously wasn't good.”
When asked about the possibility of him not being included in the playoff roster, he said “that's not my decision,” adding that he would likely rush back to help the team in October.
“I can look at the calendar and see what time it is,” he said. “That's why I had to come back and try to find myself. I couldn't just sit there and try to give myself time. I had to figure out where I was. It was hard. It was a hard lesson. But I don't regret it. I want to show up for these people. I want to be there.”
