HOUSTON -- Justin Verlander is no stranger to Game 1 starts.

His outing on Saturday afternoon against the Twins in the American League Division Series was the 13th of his career -- and he might have learned a thing or two from the previous 12.

Verlander¡¯s six-inning scoreless start put Houston in the drivers¡¯ seat with a 6-4 win over Minnesota at Minute Maid Park.

It didn¡¯t start the way Verlander might have envisioned.

¡°You come up with a game plan [for Game 1], and as the famous saying goes, 'the best-laid plans ... '¡± Verlander said on Friday. ¡°You just go out there and see what their approach is and try to adjust, and that's the chess match that's happening.¡±

But Verlander has shown he can outmaneuver his opponents on the mound. In his first five Game 1 starts from 2011-¡¯16, Verlander's team went 1-4. Since joining the Astros in ¡®17, however, the team is 7-1 when Verlander is starting the first game of a postseason series. The Astros improved to 8-0 in Game 1 of an ALDS, including five Verlander starts.

Against the Twins¡¯ young lineup, Verlander adjusted his way through the ¡°chess match¡± despite struggling early.

He allowed six of Minnesota¡¯s first 10 batters to reach base, including the leadoff hitter in each of the first three innings. The Twins refused to swing and miss at a breaking ball in the first frame -- earning nine balls and a hit on 12 combined sliders and curveballs.

¡°Early, he was forcing his breaking ball,¡± Astros manager Dusty Baker said. ¡°His breaking ball, he couldn't get it over. He got in trouble a couple times early, but if you don't get J.V. early, he usually finds his groove.¡±

Two key 6-4-3 double play ground balls helped Verlander escape the early traffic and hold the Twins to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

And once he found his groove, Minnesota found itself one move behind.

Verlander didn¡¯t allow a hit to his last 14 batters. He collected six strikeouts and kept the Twins off balance by throwing fewer fastballs. Most importantly, the right-hander regained some of the bite on his slider to induce eight whiffs and the spin on his curveball to toss them in there for six called strikes.

¡°You just adapt and do whatever you can to be successful,¡± Verlander said. ¡°In my career I've changed drastically multiple times. So I think what feels really good is that, when you start off struggling and are able to make some adjustments and find it, and the third, fourth, and fifth, [I] obviously was able to have some things click and make some better pitches and get some easier outs.

¡°He definitely found himself and found the mix that he's looking for,¡± Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. ¡°He's a guy that, if he has something that he doesn't like, he'll go away from it, and he'll go to what feels good on that day. I think at some points he was going to the fastball up in certain points where maybe he thought we were looking more off-speed.¡±

As Verlander (17 career postseason wins) nears Andy Pettitte (19) for first on the all-time playoff wins list, the Astros' ace says it¡¯s not a goal of his to pass Pettitte. But if Verlander does, his improvements in Game 1's will be a huge reason why.

¡°Incredible,¡± said Yordan Alvarez, who smashed two home runs to back Verlander. ¡°That's what we needed from J.V.¡±