Astros ace Justin Verlander made his final minor league rehab appearance on Saturday night for Double-A Corpus Christi, as he throws four innings against the Frisco RoughRiders. Despite giving up six runs, five of which were earned, and seven hits, he managed to strike out three batters, walk one, and throw 51 of his 77 pitches for strikes.
The 41-year-old Verlander had been on the injured list at the start of the season due to inflammation in his right shoulder. During the game, he was charged with two wild pitches and two pitch-clock violations. In the third inning, he threw 42 pitches as Frisco scored six runs, helped by two Corpus Christi errors. However, Verlander ended the game by retiring his final five batters in a 10-3 loss in front of a crowd of 11,622 at Riders Field.
Verlander’s first rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land allowed him to pitch six earned runs and strike out six batters. He threw 65 pitches in that game. Houston manager Joe Espada mentioned that they are hoping Verlander feels good post-game and are looking forward to seeing him return to pitch for the Astros soon. Espada also mentioned that they anticipate Verlander will only require two minor league starts before returning to Houston.
