Home MLB Giants’ Playoff Dreams Crumble as Cardinals Maul Verlander – Oracle Park’s Last Stand Nears Brutal End.

Giants’ Playoff Dreams Crumble as Cardinals Maul Verlander – Oracle Park’s Last Stand Nears Brutal End.

MLB · September 23, 2025 · Comments off

SF Giants inch closer to elimination as Cardinals rough up Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings as the Giants (77-80) lost 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Oracle Park, falling 3.5 games behind the Mets and Reds for the final NL wild card spot with five games remaining.

San Francisco can be mathematically eliminated on Tuesday if they lose and the Mets win. New York currently owns an 80-76 record and is tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final NL wild card spot. If the Giants lose on Tuesday, the best they could finish 81-81. If San Francisco and New York both finish with 81 wins, the Mets own the tiebreaker after taking four of six games.

For Verlander, this outing was a departure from his recent run of excellence. Over his last five starts entering play, Verlander allowed just three runs over 31 innings (0.87 ERA) with 28 strikeouts. When Verlander faced the Cardinals earlier this month, he tossed six shutout innings with six strikeouts to no walks in a no decision.

Verlander’s four-seam fastball velocity was noticeably down against the Cardinals. On the season, Verlander’s average four-seam clocks in at 94.0 mph. On Monday, Verlander was down to 92.3 mph. Melvin said the 42-year-old might be “a little bit on fumes right now,” and Verlander agreed that he felt “a little lethargic on the mound.”

SF Giants inch closer to elimination as Cardinals rough up Verlander
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander #35 rubs up a new ball after giving up a two-run home run to St. Louis Cardinals’ Iván Herrera, #48 scoring Lars Nootbaar #21 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

“We’ve been cracking the whip pretty hard,” Verlander said. “It’s been that time of the year. That takes its toll. Generally, I’ve been feeling pretty good. This is the first one where I felt like I was a little lethargic. Just have to make sure I focus on my recovery this next time through and hopefully refresh.”

Verlander added: “Today, for whatever reason, went out to the bullpen and started doing my stuff and just kind of feel like you’re moving underwater a little bit. It just doesn’t feel as fresh as it does sometimes. It’s not the only time that ever happens. It’s one of those things you go out there and try to grind and make the best of it. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen for me today.”

Verlander would be in line to start against the Colorado Rockies in the final series of the year, and the right-hander said he would want to make a start regardless of whether the Giants are still in contention.

“As long as I feel okay physically — which I have,” Verlander said. “It’s my job.”

Heliot Ramos began the scoring in the bottom of the first with his fifth leadoff home run of the season, joining Bobby Bonds as the only right-handed hitter in Giants franchise history to have at least five leadoff homers in a single season. Rafael Devers also hit his 33rd home run of the season, a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.

SF Giants inch closer to elimination as Cardinals rough up Verlander
San Francisco Giants’ Heliot Ramos #17 gestures as he crosses the plate after hitting a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy #36 in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

The Cardinals scored a run apiece in the third and fourth following Ramos’ homer, but the Giants scored three runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead on an RBI single from Patrick Bailey and a two-run single from Ramos. St. Louis responded to San Francisco’s three-run fourth with a four-run fifth, knocking Verlander out of the game in the process.

Two of those runs were the product of Iván Herrera’s two-run shot that landed in the Giants’ bullpen. The two other runs followed an error by second baseman Casey Schmitt, who fumbled the transfer on a softly-hit grounder from Pedro Pagés with the infield in and a runner on third.

If Schmitt made the throw and recorded the out at the plate, Verlander would’ve had an opportunity to finish the fifth inning. Instead, Melvin went to his bullpen and Verlander’s night was over.

“I’ll tell you what, he still competes,” Melvin said. “He’s on his way to potentially pitching his way out of that inning. We ended up making an error, and at that point in time, it was time to go get him with the pitches he had. You could see he was ratcheting it up another level like we’ve seen him a bunch here, and then unfortunately, we let a run in.”

Originally Published:

XuanTan

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