Verlander Has Season-Best 12 Ks In 5-1 Win Over White Sox
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out a season-high 12 to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
Verlander (8-1) was in control from the first pitch, allowing one hit and walking one in eight innings for his fourth straight win and the seventh in eight starts. The only hit off him came when Jose Abreu sent the first pitch of his at-bat just over the wall and out of reach of a leaping Jake Marisnick in straightaway center field with one out in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-1.
Yuli Gurriel hit a solo homer off Dylan Covey (0-3) in the fourth inning to give the Astros home runs in 18 straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history.
Verlander, who threw no-hitters in 2007 and 2011, retired his first five batters with three strikeouts before walking Yonder Alonso with two outs in the second. But he got right back on track, sitting down Tim Anderson to end the inning.
He needed just 11 pitches to strike out the side in the third inning and fanned two in the fourth. He struck out one in the fifth and one more in the sixth after a long layoff after the Astros sent eight hitters to the plate in the bottom of their four-run fifth.
Yoán Moncada struck out to start the seventh before Abreu's homer. Verlander received a hearty ovation after ending his night with a perfect eighth before Hector Rondon took over for the ninth and finished the one-hitter.
Houston, a big league-best 33-16, won for the 12th time in 13 games overall and ninth in a row over the White Sox.
Tuesday's performance was the latest in a string of dominant starts for the 36-year-old Verlander. He's allowed just two runs and four hits while striking out 29 combined in his last three starts spanning 22 innings.
Covey allowed four hits, walked four and allowed four runs in four-plus innings.
Houstin loaded the bases on three straight walks with no outs in the fifth, and Tony Kemp scored on a wild pitch by Aaron Bummer to make it 2-0. Alex Bregman walked before Michael Brantley scored two with a double. A single by Correa scored Bregman to extend the lead to 5-0.
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