Kate Upton slights ex Justin Verlander

There was a time that Justin Verlander held the affections of sought-after supermodel Kate Upton.

But now that they're on the outs, Upton apparently has no problem maintaining her friendship with one of the Detroit Tigers hurler's best friends.

Upton tweeted birthday salutations to Frank Viola III, the son of pitcher Frank Viola, Jr., who just happens to be one of Verlander's closest pals.

The original tweet, now deleted, including an eCard that read "Happy birthday to a friend of a friend who I now like more than the original friend."

She later replaced the tweet with one without the zinger.

Happy birthday to one of my favorite people ever @FrankViola3 !!!!

— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) June 19, 2013