DETROIT -- There were so many things to enjoy on Opening Day in Detroit, yet there remained an underlying concern, the one about Justin Verlander.
The Tigers played pretty much a perfect game Monday -- great pitching, excellent defense, good speed on offense and defense, and some offensive power -- and shut out the Minnesota Twins, 4-0.
So it went a little bit under the radar, although not unnoticed, that the Tigers were still waiting to see if Verlander would be healthy enough to start this Sunday in Cleveland.
Now it's looking like he might not be.
Verlander left a Grapefruit League game on March 27 with two outs in the third inning because of what they called, at the time, a cramp in his right triceps muscle. He attributed it to changes in his mechanics and to some dehydration that day.
When the soreness lingered, however, the description changed to a strain, and Verlander was no longer scheduled to start the second game of the season, at home against the Twins on Wednesday.
Most of Tuesday passed without the Tigers placing Verlander on the DL retroactive to March 28, which they would need to do for him to come off the DL and pitch Sunday.
The only other way Verlander could pitch Sunday is if the Tigers don't put him on the DL at all, which seems unlikely at this point.
All along, Verlander, manager Brad Ausmus and others have said they believed that the injury would not be a long-term concern. And things seemed to be on course for Verlander when he threw a bullpen session in Lakeland on Sunday.
"Ver threw (Sunday) off the mound," Ausmus said before Monday's game. "Felt great. Last couple pitches, not as great."
That last part sounded a little ominous -- that it went well for Verlander until the end of his 40-pitch session. He was supposed to pitch to minor-league hitters Tuesday but might not have done so if his triceps was still too sore.
The last thing the Tigers would do is take a chance with Verlander, possibly risking a long-term injury, simply so he can start on Sunday.
If there's any doubt about Verlander's health -- not just for Sunday, but beyond -- they'll place him on the DL and leave him there until he's ready. In that case, they'll call up Kyle Lobstein to take his spot in the rotation.
Lobstein, 25, was 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in seven games (six starts) with the Tigers last year. In his third start last year, at Cleveland on Sept. 2, he struck out 10 hitters in just 5 1/3 innings. He also allowed two runs on five hits and walked three.
The Toledo Blade's John Wagner tweeted that both Blaine Hardy and Kyle Ryan were at Mud Hens media day Tuesday, while Lobstein was absent.
The Tigers had the day off Tuesday, so Wednesday will yield more information.
For now, it seems doubtful that Verlander will be ready to pitch Sunday.
