There's no way around it, Justin Verlander was absolutely roughed up during the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. He had an awful inning of play to give the NL a quick 5-0 lead, which they held on to and won the game with. It was no drop in form for Verlander though, he was just there to entertain.
He already said during the game that he had been told to try and throw 101 mile per hour fastballs and was going with high velocity over solid control to give the fans something to talk about. He extrapolated on that a bit after the game:
"Obviously, I don't want to give up runs. I know it means something, but we're here for the fans. And I know the fans don't want to see me throw 90 and try to hit the corners. Just let it eat."
If entertainment is what Verlander was going for, he certainly provided it -- though the fans of AL teams in the stands were assuredly not incredibly pleased about it as they dropped not only the game, but a chance at getting home field advantage in the World Series.
That's what happens when you make an exhibition game matter in the final series of the year. Entertainment has just a twinge of disappointment to it in the end, at least to somebody.
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