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Verlander throws 77 pitches over 4 innings for Astros' Double-A affiliate in 2nd rehab start
Apr 14, 2024, 11:25 am
Justin Verlander is making progress. Composite Getty Image.
Astros ace Justin Verlander pitched four innings Saturday night for Double-A Corpus Christi in what is expected to be his final minor league rehab outing before rejoining Houston's rotation.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up six runs — five earned — and seven hits against the Frisco RoughRiders, a Texas Rangers affiliate. He struck out three, walked one and threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes.
The 41-year-old Verlander opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder.
Verlander was charged with two wild pitches and two pitch-clock violations. He needed 42 pitches to get through the third as Frisco, aided by two Corpus Christi errors, scored six runs in the inning. But the right-hander retired his final five batters in a 10-3 loss before a crowd of 11,622 at Riders Field.
Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning of his first rehabilitation start Sunday for Triple-A Sugar Land. He threw 65 pitches in that game.
“Looking for him to feel well the next day and hopefully get him back out pitching for us here pretty soon,” Houston manager Joe Espada said Friday.
Espada has said the Astros don't expect Verlander will need more than two minor league starts before making his season debut for Houston.
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Zack Short hit a walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning after Christian Walker tied it with a sacrifice fly and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Saturday night.
Short hit a 1-1 pitch to right field off Hoby Milner after Robert Garcia (1-5) walked two to load the bases.
Texas took a 4-3 lead when Adolis García hit the first pitch from Bennett Sousa (3-0) for a single — scoring automatic runner Marcus Semien.
Kyle Higashioka hit a solo home run off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to tie it 3-3. It was the first blown save for Hader after 25 straight to begin the season.
Jose Altuve hit his 17th homer — a two-out solo shot in the first off Jacob deGrom to tie it 1-1 after the Rangers scored an unearned run on Framber Valdez’s wild pitch.
Yainer Diaz homered for the 14th time for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Mauricio Dubón hit his sixth homer off Jacob Webb for a 3-1 lead in the seventh.
Semien hit his 11th homer to cut it to 3-2 in the eighth.
Valdez allowed an unearned run on four hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in six innings. The Astros have won his last 12 starts with him getting the win in nine of them.
DeGrom allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings with eight strikeouts.
The Rangers struck out 19 times — two short of the club record for an extra-inning game.
Key moment
Short entered as a pinch runner in the ninth and was just 4 for 17 before his game winner.
Key stat
Houston hasn’t lost a season series with division rival Texas since 2016.
Up next
Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 1.62 ERA) starts Sunday’s rubber game opposite Astros RHP Hunter Brown (9-3, 2.21).
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