Justin Verlander eventually settled in.
But the Detroit Tigers scored two runs before he could find his groove, courtesy of back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and rode the early runs to a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets to sweep the three-game series.
After left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez pitched eight scoreless innings, right-handed reliever Alex Lange shut down the Mets in the ninth inning for his fifth save in his sixth opportunity. The Tigers improved their record to 13-17.
“We’re chipping away at the wins and losses,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “but the style of play and the offense warming up is a good sign.”
JEFF SEIDEL: Why it’s both cool and cruel to see Verlander and Scherzer back in Detroit — with the Mets
MORE SEIDEL: Tigers’ wins over Mets and Mad Max a reminder they’re nowhere near a Dumpster fire
Before Verlander threw his first pitch, he was welcomed back to Comerica Park — the ballpark he called home as a member of the Tigers from 2005-17 — with a standing ovation from the 18,369 fans.
Verlander tipped his cap and waved.
“It was amazing,” Verlander said. “Nice to hear, and I very much appreciate it.”
Then, the Tigers took him deep twice in the first inning.
Riley Greene and Javier Báez launched back-to-back home runs.
“Really huge, to be honest, and the game stayed like that,” Báez said. “I didn’t really face (Verlander) that much in the past, but the way he pitched to me, that’s the way he pitched to me today. I was just happy that I got a fastball and hit it good. I was ready for it.”
Greene, a left-handed hitter, turned on an inside curveball for his third homer of the season — his first pull-side homer of the season — for a 1-0 lead; Báez, a right-handed hitter, extended the lead to 2-0 when he blasted an outside fastball for an opposite field homer.
It was Báez’s second homer in as many days.
“If they give him pitches to do that, it’s great,” Hinch said of Greene’s pull-side homer. “That’s not the end all be all for him. It is a good version of him. We want him to keep learning and growing, but we’re not going to get obsessive over trying to make him be a certain way.”
Verlander allowed two runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts across five innings, throwing 52 of 79 pitches for strikes. The 40-year-old missed the start of the season with a low-grade teres major strain.
The three-time Cy Young winner (and nine-time All-Star) generated nine whiffs — four fastballs, four sliders, one curveball — and 10 called strikes.
His fastball averaged 95 mph.
Another great start for E-Rod
Better than Verlander was Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, who recorded his 1,000th strikeout, turned in another brilliant performance. He fired eight scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts, throwing 70 of 102 pitches for strikes. He limited hard contact, mixed five different pitches, produced enough whiffs and, most importantly, located pitches inside the strike zone.
“I’m good with eight (innings),” Rodriguez said. “You cover like 90% of the game, but if I got the opportunity to go nine, I will go nine. Seven innings every start is the goal for every starting pitcher. I’ve never thrown nine in my career, so I want to throw it so bad, so we’ll see.”
HALL OF FAME QUESTION: Verlander coy about Hall of Fame cap, but here’s why it’s not his decision
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN: Verlander, Scherzer face Tigers together after standing test of time
In the seventh, Rodriguez struck out Francisco Lindor (cutter, swinging strike), Pete Alonso (changeup, swinging strike) and Tommy Pham (cutter, called strike). Facing Alonso, a dangerous power hitter, he threw three straight changeups below the strike zone.
The Mets averaged an 83.1 mph exit velocity.
Rodriguez, 30, has been on fire over his past five starts: a 0.52 ERA (two runs in 34⅔ innings), four walks and 33 strikeouts. He has allowed 18 hits and one home run during the stretch.
“I don’t really look at who is on the other side of the mound,” Rodriguez said of Verlander. “I just go out there and execute my pitches, and that’s it. I don’t really think about who we’re facing. I just go out there and pitch.”
Against the Mets, Rodriguez generated 13 whiffs with five fastballs, two cutters, five changeups and one slider. He also logged 23 called strikes. It was another masterful performance.
He retired the final 15 batters he faced.
“A picture perfect version of controlling the strike zone,” Hinch said. “It was 70% strikes, dominant challenge fastballs, some cutters, he went to his changeup late. I told him, ‘Keep giving me that dilemma in the ninth inning.’ We got a nice laugh out of that one.”
Get him early, but not often
After the back-to-back homers, Verlander retired 13 of the next 17 batters he faced to complete his five-inning start. He worked around tough situations in the third and fifth innings.
In the third, Zach McKinstry and Greene reached base with a walk and a single, respectively, with one out. Báez flied out to advance McKinstry to third base, then Greene stole second base.
But Nick Maton struck out swinging at a down-and-in slider to strand the runners in the third inning.
MORE ABOUT MAX: Jim Leyland says no, but Max Scherzer praises him for ‘pushing me’ with Tigers
E-ROD EXPLAINS: Why Tigers’ Eduardo Rodriguez has mostly ditched PitchCom and gone old-fashioned
In the fifth, Andy Ibáñez jumped Verlander’s first-pitch fastball for a leadoff double to right-center field. The next three batters, however, were retired in order: Rogers (strikeout), McKinstry (strikeout) and Greene (groundout).
After Greene grounded out, Verlander walked from the mound to the dugout for the final time in his first start.
The Tigers, finishing with two runs on five hits and one walk, failed to tack on runs against three relievers out of the Mets’ bullpen, but the early runs off Verlander were enough to win.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.