Coming off an impressive spring, Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander took the hill in Monday's season opener against the Royals. However, Verlander was on the hook for the loss until Detroit rallied late for a 4-3 win.
Verlander opened the game with three scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the fourth inning. The Royals sent nine batters to the plate and scored three runs to go ahead 3-1. Salvador Perez had an RBI double, Lorenzo Cain had an RBI single and Omar Infante walked with the bases loaded to get the final run off Verlander. Though, Verlander avoided the loss when Detroit tied the game at 3 in the seventh.
The right-hander was charged with three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks, while striking out two in six innings. His next scheduled start is for Sunday against the Orioles.