Corbin Carroll homered, tripled and drove in four runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks survived a late Detroit rally to spoil Justin Verlander’s return to the Tigers with a 9-6 victory in Phoenix on Monday.
Carroll tripled in a run in the first inning and hit a three-run homer in the second for a quick 5-0 lead off Verlander, who was making his first start with the Tigers since 2017, after signing a one-year contract in the offseason.
Verlander (0-1) gave up six hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings, with two walks and one strikeout. He spent his first 13 seasons with the Tigers, where he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2011.
Michael Soroka (1-0) gave up four hits in five scoreless innings and tied his career high with 10 strikeouts in his first start for Arizona, which won its home opener after being swept in a season-opening three-game series by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soroka pitched an “immaculate inning” in the fifth, striking out the side on nine pitches. He struck out Javier Baez and Kerry Carpenter swinging on slurves and got Gleyber Torres swinging on a 94.9 mph fastball.
Detroit had been shut out on four hits through six innings before scoring six runs on six hits and three walks in the seventh to close to 8-6.
Colt Keith hit a two-run double and Dillon Dingler, Baez and Riley Greene had RBI hits off Joe Ross, and Spencer Torkelson doubled in the sixth run off Ryan Thompson. Thompson walked two to load the bases before Juan Morillo entered to get Parker Meadows to ground out.
Arizona designated hitter Ildemaro Vargas, who had two hits, homered in the seventh. Gabriel Moreno and Jordan Lawlar also had two hits.
Paul Sewald pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Marte walked to open the Arizona first and Carroll tripled into the gap in right-center for a 1-0 lead that grew to 2-0 on Moreno’s RBI fielder’s choice. Carroll led the major leagues with 17 triples last year and led the NL in 2023 and 2024.
Vargas and Lawlar singled with one out in the second before Carroll hit an 88 mph slider for his first homer of the season.
Keith and Greene had two hits apiece for the Tigers, who lost their second straight after taking two of three in San Diego.
