Brandon McCarthy is in The Best Shape of His Life

It’s not often that we have original news here. Scoops and such. But I can report to you — exclusively — that A’s starter Brandon McCarthy is in The Best Shape of His Life. I know this because he told me himself:

@craigcalcaterra just fyi, I’m in the best shape of my life. Thought you should have the scoop. #motivated #quotes #sigh

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) February 18, 2012

Of course, it’s possible that he’s lying about that and just wanted to be featured on the blogosphere’s most popular offseason ballplayer health update feature.

I’ll be in Phoenix in a couple of weeks and I’m going to make a point to see McCarthy in person and judge for myself. Like, I’m gonna make him do jumping jacks and stuff. Better come correct, McCarthy.

Justin Verlander is approaching the tail end of a fantastic year with the Astros — arguably one of his best in the last decade — and on Saturday, he kicked off his last regular season start at Minute Maid Park with a strikeout, his 270th of the year. While that’s still a few shy of Max Scherzer‘s league-best mark of 290, it was a new personal record for Verlander, who had yet to beat the previous career record he set with 269 strikeouts in 2009.

Verlander’s moment arrived at the top of the first inning on a seven-pitch called strikeout against the Angels’ Kole Calhoun. Cole worked a 2-2 count, then fouled off a pair of 95-MPH fastballs before missing the seventh and final pitch at the top of the strike zone.

Jose Fernandez battled twice as long in the next at-bat, albeit with far more disastrous results. His 14-pitch duel against the Astros’ righty ended when he caught a fastball on his hand and was forced to come out of the game.

After expending a total of 27 pitches in the first inning, however, Verlander returned in the second to strike out the side, then logged another pair of strikeouts in the third. With six strikeouts through three innings, he boosted his season strikeout total to 275 — just a hair above fellow Houston righty Gerrit Cole (and all other AL pitchers), who previously led the team with 272 whiffs on the year.