Shocking move backfires: Astros' Justin Verlander gives up go-ahead homer in ALDS relief

BOSTON – When Red Sox manager John Farrell announced before his team’s ALDS Game 4 against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park that ace Chris Sale would be available out of the bullpen for the game, it seemed fairly apparent that starter Rick Porcello would have a short leash in the game.

And, though Porcello pitched relatively well, Farrell proved those pregame assumptions to be accurate. Porcello went just three innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, with four strikeouts, a hit batter and a wild pitch. But Porcello left with the Red Sox trailing, 2-1, replaced by the ace lefty.

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Farrell wasn’t around to make that call – by appearances, anyway. He was ejected in the second inning.

It made sense, with their season on the brink of winter, for the Red Sox to go to Sale, making his first relief appearance since May 8, 2012, while with the Chicago White Sox against the Cleveland Indians.

But, when Astros manager A.J. Hinch went to his ace Justin Verlander with one out and one on in the fifth, and the Astros leading, 2-1, the move had a different feel to it. Starter Charlie Morton had run into traffic in every inning, but had kept the Red Sox in check. The move smacked of desperation.

Verlander was making his first career appearance out of the bullpen.  With other bullpen options, if the Astros were going to bring Verlander in for relief work, wouldn’t it have been more fair to him to let him start an inning, than immediately facing runners on base and working out of the stretch?

Those questions were well-grounded when Verlander gave up a two-run home run – and the Astros’ lead -- to his first batter, Andrew Benintendi, who entered the game batting .167 in the series. 

The Astros have Dallas Keuchel to start Game 5 – if they can’t pull out a win in Game 4 – so using Verlander in relief may not have been a bad move at face value, especially when it’s all hands on deck in the postseason.  But based on the early returns of Verlander’s first career relief work, that’s not how the Astros drew it up. 

Verlander did recover to suppress the Red Sox long enough for Alex Bregman to hit a game-tying homer off Sale in the top of the eight. It would behoove the Astros to win Game 4 - after all, Verlander is no longer available for Game 5.

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