Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander spoke out after his recent problems continued in Sunday’s 12-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I mean, damn, the damage is done, whatever,” he told reporters after the game. “I’m fine.”

The three-time Cy Young Award winner allowed eight earned runs in three innings. A third-inning grand slam by Diamondbacks left fielder Pavin Smith, his second home run of the game, accounted for half of Arizona’s performance.

Verlander said he felt “physically good” but “the results were atrocious,” citing an inability to complement his fastball as the main factor.

“I was behind a lot of times because I couldn’t land them, and that’s why they did damage on some fastballs,” he said. “I thought the fastball was better overall today. The off-speed was a little inconsistent at points, which got me in a little bit of trouble.”

In his first eight starts in 2024, Verlander was largely his usual self, allowing four or more earned runs only twice and striking out 44 batters in 47 innings.

However, his performance began to decline in June. The 41-year-old has an ERA of 8.78 in his last six appearances and opposing hitters are hitting .555 with an OPS of .950.

Until a few months ago, Verlander would have been a sure-fire candidate for the Astros’ playoff roster. He has thrown 226 postseason innings in his career and averaged 9.7 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings. Only Andy Pettitte has pitched more innings and no one has more strikeouts (244).

Coach Joe Espada may be facing a dilemma, however, as relying on the current version of Verlander in an important playoff game would be a risky venture.