NEW YORK -- Justin Verlander has that look: four or five days of stubble when he takes the mound, a focused glare, a game-day demeanor that if not quite ornery is admittedly intense.
"I can't be that guy that rolls in on start day and is just kind of like loosey-goosey and having fun with guys and then try to turn it on when I take the field," he said. "It doesn't work for me."
Back in the major leagues after missing last year due to Tommy John surgery, Verlander once again is among the best pitchers in the game.
Verlander pitched two-hit ball for eight innings, light-hitting backup catcher Jason Castro lined a two-run drive in the ninth for his first home run this season and the Houston Astros beat the Mets 2-0 Wednesday to send New York to its first three-game skid this season.
"He's the guy that stops losing streaks. He creates winning streaks," Astros Manager Dusty Baker said.
Verlander (10-3) became the major leagues' first 10-game winner, striking out six and walking one. The 39-year-old right-hander, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2011 AL MVP, lowered his ERA to 2.03 ERA -- third to Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan and Miami's Sandy Alcantara.
"My curveball this year has been really good," Verlander said. "My slider is not as good as it was in '19. My fastball has playing pretty well, getting a lot of weak contact, kind of infield popups, high popups. Swing and miss is a little bit down. It's just interesting. I feel largely the same, but the stuff seems to be playing a little bit different."
BREWERS 5, RAYS 3 Rowdy Tellez hit two home runs and Milwaukee center fielder Jonathan Davis made a spectacular catch, sending the Brewers to the win over Tampa Bay.
TIGERS 3, GIANTS 2 Eric Haase hit a two-run home run to break a 1-all tie in the sixth inning and Detroit held on to beat San Francisco.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 1 Adam Duvall homered, Kyle Wright (9-4) tossed seven sharp innings and Atlanta improved to 21-5 in June, beating Philadelphia.
CUBS 8, REDS 3 Willson Contreras and Christopher Morel each hit two-run home runs as Chicago defeated Cincinnati.
DODGERS 8, ROCKIES 4 Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Cody Bellinger each hit home runs as Los Angeles defeated Colorado.
MARLINS 4, CARDINALS 3 Avisail Garcia hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning and Sandy Alcantara (8-3) pitched a complete game, lifting Miami to a victory over St. Louis.
PADRES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 0 Mike Clevinger (2-0) outpitched Madison Bumgarner by throwing one-hit ball for six innings in his longest outing of the year, leading San Diego over Arizona.
PIRATES 8, NATIONALS 7 Bryan Reynolds hit a career-high three home runs and drove in six runs, leading Pittsburgh to the win over Washington.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MARINERS 9, ORIOLES 3 Julio Rodriguez hit his 12th home run of the season as part of Seattle's six-run fourth inning, and the Mariners beat Baltimore for their seventh win in nine games.
RED SOX 6, BLUE JAYS 5 (10) J.D. Martinez drove in the tiebreaking run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th inning and Boston beat Toronto, avoiding a three-game sweep.
ROYALS 2, RANGERS 1 Zack Greinke (2-4) pitched six innings of one-run ball in his 500th career start, helping Kansas City avoid a three-game sweep against Texas.
TWINS 7, GUARDIANS 6 (10) Josh Naylor hit a two-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning, completing a four-run rally that gave Cleveland a victory over Minnesota.
YANKEES 5, ATHLETICS 3 Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homered to fuel New York over Oakland in the Yankees' major league-best 24th comeback victory.
Wednesday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 8, Washington 7
San Diego 4, Arizona 0
Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 1
Miami 4, St. Louis 3
Chicago Cubs 8, Cincinnati 3
LA Dodgers 8, Colorado 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 5, Oakland 3
Kansas City 2, Texas 1
Seattle 9, Baltimore 3
Boston 6, Toronto 5 (10)
Cleveland 7, Minnesota 6 (10)
Chciago White Sox at LA Angels, (n)
INTERLEAGUE
Milwaukee 5, Tampa Bay 3
Houston 2, NY Mets 0
Detroit 3, San Francisco 2