Verlander's Return: A Mixed Bag

On March 31st, Justin Verlander finally stepped back on the mound for the Detroit Tigers after more than 3,000 days away, facing the Arizona.

Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

It marked a rare feat in baseball history, joining Don Sutton, as the only pitchers to rack up at least 380 starts with their original.

Team, then 175 elsewhere, before circling back at age 41.

But the reunion hit a snag right away, with Verlander surrendering five runs over three and two-thirds innings on six hits and two walks.

Early on, things got rough.

When Corbin Carroll crushed an RBI triple in the first, then blasted a three-run homer off a slider in the second, putting Detroit in a five-nothing hole.

Verlander battled back a bit, retiring six of his next seven batters, but couldn't shake the damage as Kettle-Martay kept pressuring him with hits in A.

Walk.

Fans and Verlander himself looked disappointed, shaking his head after Carroll's big blast, no vintage fire, just a grind that echoed his spring.

Training tweaks on velocity and command.

The Tigers know this isn't prime Verlander yet, averaging 93 miles per hour on his fastball, with his curveball flashing only once for A. Strike out.

Stats showed 11, called strikes on the heater, and some slider swing, and misses, but overall, it was a wake-up that adrenaline from real games might.

Still need time to sharpen his edge.

He's no stranger to slow April's before peaking later.

Looking ahead, Verlander's next turn comes at home in Comerica Park, against the Cardinals on National TV Sunday night, that could spark the boost too.

Get his arsenal humming for the long haul.

Baseball news.

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