At long last, Justin Verlander is finally set to make his Mets debut on Thursday, fittingly against the team that drafted him nearly two decades ago and helped him earn his first of three Cy Young awards. 

That said, Verlander’s sentimental start this week might not be the success story that fans and bettors alike are hoping for. 

Let’s not forget that Verlander hasn’t pitched in an MLB game in 211 days, and he was seemingly good to go before hitting the IL right before the season with a shoulder strain.

That “very minimal” injury, in his words, sidelined him for over a month, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be at 100 percent on Thursday. 

If he’s not, that could put a major strain on the Mets bullpen, which pitched a full game on Monday and is already thinned by injury after losing Brooks Raley to the IL on Sunday and closer Edwin Diaz before the season. 

(1:10 p.m. ET)

Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez has done his best Verlander impression atop the Tigers’ rotation, allowing just nine earned runs in six starts across 36²/₃ innings pitched.

He’s been especially sharp over the last three weeks, spinning a 0.68 ERA with 40 swinging strikes and four quality starts in as many tries. 

Detroit’s offense hasn’t done him many favors this season, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see this lineup knock in a few runs against a rusty Verlander or an overtaxed ’pen. 

Tigers +160 (PointsBet)