Astros ace Justin Verlander pitched four innings Saturday night for Double-A Corpus Christi, likely his final minor league rehab outing before rejoining Houston's rotation. The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up six runs, five of which were earned, and seven hits against the Texas Rangers affiliate Frisco RoughRiders. Despite that, he was able to strike out three batters, walk one and throw 51 of his 77 strikeouts.
The 41-year-old Verlander was on the injured list at the start of the season due to right shoulder inflammation. During the game, he was charged with two wild pitches and two fielding fouls. In the third inning, he threw 42 pitches as Frisco scored six runs, aided by two Corpus Christi errors. However, Verlander finished the game by retiring the final five batters in a 10-3 loss in front of a crowd of 11,622 at Riders Field.
In his first rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land, Verlander allowed six earned runs, struck out six batters and pitched into the fourth inning. He threw 65 pitches in that game. Houston manager Joe Espada mentioned that they hope Verlander feels good after the game and look forward to getting back on the field for the Astros soon. Espada also noted that they expect Verlander to only need two minor league starts before returning to Houston.