Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander took to the mound for a Double-A rehab start with Corpus Christi, anticipated to be his final minor league outing before returning to Houston’s rotation. Verlander pitched four innings, giving up six runs (five earned) and seven hits against the Frisco RoughRiders, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Despite striking out three and walking one batter, Verlander struggled with two wild pitches and two pitch-clock violations.
In the third inning, Verlander faced some difficulties as Frisco scored six runs with help from two Corpus Christi errors. Despite this setback, Verlander managed to retire his final five batters in a 10-3 loss in front of a crowd of 11,622 at Riders Field. In his previous rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land, Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning, throwing 65 pitches.
Manager Joe Espada expressed that they are hopeful that Verlander will feel good the following day and be ready to rejoin the starting rotation soon. The Astros are optimistic that Verlander will only require two minor league starts before returning to pitch for Houston.
