DETROIT -- Daniel Norris lived up to manager Ron Gardenhire’s expectations for his return to the Tigers rotation, which was good and bad.

As Gardenhire predicted, he was energetic and fighting the adrenaline rush of getting back on the mound in a competitive game for the first time since Spring Training. He was also inconsistent, fighting to find his arm slot and stick with it. Those battles were about as difficult as the Tigers’ continued struggle to hit Trevor Bauer, whose two-hit shutout sent Detroit to a 4-0 loss to Cincinnati, which swept the Sunday doubleheader at Comerica Park.

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This is the recurring battle with Norris. When he’s on, he can be near unhittable, evidenced by his stretch run last year that included three scoreless innings each against the Astros, Rays and Twins. When he’s off, he can be his toughest opponent.

“I think I was trying to be too fine, trying to make perfect pitches instead of attacking better,” Norris said. “Obviously I need to put guys away when I get ahead.”

The Tigers and Reds ended up with three wins apiece after playing six games against each other in 10 days. Each team took two of three on the road. Add in a four-game series split against the Royals, and the Tigers are 5-5.

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“We have to get our rotation straightened out,” Gardenhire said. “That’s the biggest thing, because using two openers and using the bullpen as much as we have, that won't last, not even in a 60-game schedule. So the health of our starting rotation has got to get a little better here and more consistent. Once we iron that out and get four or five guys locked in there, it's going to be OK. Because we like our [top] three and now we're trying to figure out the fourth and fifth.”

Norris was expected to be in the thick of that rotation, but his bout with COVID-19 led to a month in protocol, waiting to be cleared to join Summer Camp as he threw against a fence to keep his arm ready and mind calm. By the time he was cleared, camp was over.

The lefty pitched in intrasquad games at the Tigers’ alternate training site in Toledo, Ohio, but that couldn’t compare to the hitting -- or more important, the energy -- of actual games.

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“More than anything, I was just happy to be back on the mound at Comerica,” Norris said. “It was a long time coming, a lot of downtime, a lot of sitting and testing and waiting and wishing. It was just good to be back in the clubhouse and see all my teammates and my friends and coaches, and I'll take that positive out of today.”

The difference was evident early. Norris posted a 2.25 ERA over his final eight starts last season thanks in part to a nasty changeup paired with a fastball that approached the mid-90s, but he struggled for swings and misses. Former Tiger Eugenio Suárez jumped on a first-pitch fastball for a double. Matt Davidson won a 10-pitch battle against Norris with a broken-bat RBI single.

Another double, this one from Christian Colón, set up a second-inning run on an Aristides Aquino single. From there, Norris seemed to struggle for command as he hurried his delivery and walked two of his final three batters.

“I thought my pitches had good sharpness to them,” Norris said. “I just wasn't throwing them where I wanted them to be. My changeup was too much down. I need to throw it for strikes more and get that weak contact. The slider felt good. I thought the fastball had good life, was getting a lot of foul balls. I think that’s what got my pitch count up.”

Norris threw 54 pitches over 1 2/3 innings.

“He was wired,” Gardenhire said. “He wasn't paying attention to the runners and they were running on him before he even picked up his leg. He was just a little overwhelmed. Being back, excited, the whole package, overthrew the ball.

“All the things that you think can happen, pretty much did out there with him. Fifty-four pitches in an inning and two-thirds, that's just all over the place. We'll see what happens the next time out and go from there.”

Whether that next time is as a starter, as an opener or as a piggyback to Michael Fulmer remains to be seen. The Tigers have Fulmer lined up to start Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, but the series and the rotation could change, especially after Tyler Alexander’s 10-strikeout performance in relief in Game 1.

“We're just trying to sort things out with Norris and guys like that and figure it out,” Gardenhire said. “We're going to see what works best for our ballclub as we go along.”