3 years agoHouston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander was sharp in his first game of the season on Saturday as he struck out seven Angels over five frames of work. The veteran righty allowed three hits and three walks and gave up just one run when Jared Walsh took him deep to lead off the second inning. He was saddled with a tough-luck loss since his offense couldn't help him out as his club fell 2-0, but it was encouraging nonetheless to see his fastball sit in the 95-96 MPH range all night. Early signs are indicating that Verlander's arm hasn't depreciated much, if not at all since his Tommy John Surgery as he will look to build on this 80-pitch effort next weekend with a road date against the Mariners.--Riley Mrack - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com