Following the release of veteran first baseman Jose Abreu earlier on Friday, the Houston Astros needed a positive development, something that actually resembled the win they mustered later that evening. The Astros blanked the visiting Detroit Tigers 4-0 in the opener of a three-game weekend series that continues on Saturday afternoon. Houston won after cutting ties with Abreu less than halfway through the three-year, $58.5 million contract he signed before last season. Abreu, 37, was a respected figure in the Houston clubhouse, but his prolonged struggles -- he hit .124 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 35 games -- made his release inevitable. Of Friday's win, Astros manager Joe Espada said: "It was big for the group and for our team because it was an emotional roller coaster. We lost one of our guys. We know that we have a job to do and we have our goals as a club and we must stay the course. And if we do, we'll get there. "There are obstacles, there are bumps on the road, that's part of this game. But this is a relentless group, and they're not going to stop fighting." Central to the series-opening win was the performance of right-hander Hunter Brown, who tossed a season-high seven innings and matched his season high of nine strikeouts. It marked the fifth consecutive quality start for Brown, who was 1-4 with a 7.71 ERA before this stretch. "He's ahead of the count," Espada said. "Competitive pitches when he's ahead 0-2, 1-2, and when his stuff is in the zone, people are going to chase because he's that good. You can't sit back and wait for him to give you something to hit because his stuff is plus stuff." Right-hander Justin Verlander (3-2, 3.95 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Saturday. He has struggled with efficiency of late, logging just five innings in each of his last two outings while allowing eight runs on 14 hits and two walks with seven strikeouts plus a .993 OPS. Previously, Verlander had surrendered two runs or less in six of his first eight starts. Verlander is 4-3 with a 2.35 ERA over seven career starts against his former club. He threw seven shutout innings in a 9-3 win over the Tigers on May 12, allowing two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Right-hander Jake Flaherty (3-4, 3.22 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Tigers on Saturday. He tossed five scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers on June 4, allowing two hits while recording five strikeouts. Flaherty has allowed three runs or less in each of his last seven starts, going 3-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 58 strikeouts against only six walks over 43 1/3 innings. He has three scoreless outings during that span. Flaherty is 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA over four career appearances (three starts) against the Astros. In his last start against Houston, he allowed three runs on seven hits -- including one home run -- with seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings opposite Verlander on May 12. Houston ambushed Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on Friday with four runs over a six-batter, 12-pitch sequence in the sixth inning. It was a remarkable turnaround after Skubal had cruised through five one-hit frames. "Against a top-end pitcher like Tarik, it's hard to piece things together," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "And they were getting early-count outs, and it looked like he had a chance to go even deeper in the game. It did switch from a performance side with a couple of big hits." --Field Level Media
Jun 9, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) pitches during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports