Astros' Justin Verlander: Takes away positives in debut

Verlander allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out three over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cardinals.

The results aren't pretty, but Verlander's spring debut wasn't about that. A groin injury slowed him this spring, but the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner said his leg was not an issue Tuesday. He threw 53 pitches and hit 97 mph on the radar. "Today, first and foremost, was to come out of it feeling good," Verlander told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "Having no issues with the groin. Check. Hoping that the velo's decent, which I think it was for this time of year. Better than normal. I'd have to reference years. I was pretty surprised seeing some of the numbers I saw." The right-hander added that his location and pitch quality are a bit behind, but that's natural after he's been focusing his efforts on getting healthy.