Justin Verlander struggled in his fourth Grapefruit League start, walking six in Monday’s 3-2 loss against the Washington Nationals. The two-time World Series champion allowed two hits, two earned runs and struck out three in 4.2 innings of work.
The right-hander, who has allowed just two runs in the previous 11 1/2 innings pitched, said he doesn’t want to “overlook everything” during spring training, but noted he needs to make adjustments after his last tough outing.
“I have some work to do. It was a tough one,” she said.
( Mets 26-man roster projection as spring training draws to a close, injuries mount )
Manager Buck Showalter said after the game that the starter had a lot of “borderline pitching” and “is where he needs to be physically.”
Shortstop Francisco Lindor returned to the Mets after Mexico eliminated Puerto Rico, 5-4, in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic last week.
The star will begin the season without fellow Puerto Rican Edwin Díaz, who underwent season-ending right knee surgery after tearing his patellar tendon while celebrating an upset victory over the Dominican Republic on May 15.
“I never knew I loved Edwin so much until I couldn’t stop crying. That’s when I realized that she loved Edwin very much…she broke my heart. It wasn’t feeling well,” Lindor said of his teammate.
Lindor said WBC participation “should still be there” despite criticism following injuries to Diaz and Jose Altuve that occurred during the tournament. The Astros indefinitely ruled out Altuve being hit by a pitch that broke his right thumb. The team will determine a prognosis after the eight-time All-Star undergoes surgery.
“I can understand everyone’s emotions,” Lindor said. “Believe me, I have those emotions too… We all care about each other. Nobody wants to get hurt. But we all love our countries and we want to represent our countries.”
