PITTSBURGH — Justin Verlander is well past his prime. That is the objective truth of baseball’s oldest active player. But on occasions, such as Monday night at PNC Park as the Giants (56-57) lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 in walk-off fashion, he’ll flash glimpses of the pitcher who built a career that will end in Cooperstown.
Verlander found himself in a bind in the fourth. Runners on second and third, Joey Bart at the plate, Giants leading by one run. With the count at 1-2, Verlander fired a 98.3 mph four-seam fastball — his fastest pitch of the year. With the count even, Verlander followed up with a 97.8 mph fastball on the outside corner. Bart didn’t get the bat off his shoulders.
The strikeout was one of four that Verlander totaled on a night where he allowed one run — unearned — over five innings. As well as Verlander pitched, he ended up with yet another no-decision as Randy Rodríguez blew his first save since being elevated to the closer role after Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers were traded.
“Feeling better and better,” Verlander said. “Tough pill to swallow today, but yeah, we try to take the positives away.”
“That might’ve been his best stuff of the year seeing that we’re in August and he’s throwing 98 miles per hour,” said manager Bob Melvin. “He’s obviously found something mechanically. He’s found his second wind.”
In the midst of this second wind, Verlander positioned himself to earn his second win of the season.
Verlander departed the game with the Giants leading 4-1, those runs deriving from Dominic Smith’s RBI single and Casey Schmitt’s bases-loaded walk in the first, as well as Jung Hoo Lee’s two-run triple in the fifth.
“I think he’s just getting going,” said catcher Patrick Bailey. “It’s impressive. He keeps getting better and better. It’s fun to watch.”
Following Verlander’s departure, San Francisco’s Rogers-less, Doval-less bullpen couldn’t hold the three-run lead.
Jack Suwinski, who entered play hitting .103, cut San Francisco’s lead to 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning with a two-run homer off Carson Seymour. With the Giants’ offense unable to tack on additional runs, Rodríguez had little margin for error in the bottom of the ninth.
Rodríguez began the bottom of the ninth inning by walking Andrew McCutchen, and the Pirates sent in Alexander Canario to pinch-run. After striking out pinch-hitter Bryan Reynolds, Rodriguez plunked Suwinski to give the Pirates runners on first and second with one out.
That set the table for the former Giant Bart, who lined a single over the outstretched glove of shortstop Willy Adames that tied the game at four apiece and advances Suwinski, the winning run, to third. With two on and one out, the Pirates a golden opportunity to win the game. Win the game, they did.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a slow roller to first baseman Rafael Devers, and Suwinski bolted to the plate on contact. Devers fielded the ball and fired a throw home to catcher Patrick Bailey, who quickly applied the tag for the out. Suwinski was called safe, and following a replay review, the call was confirmed.
“Obviously, it’s tough,” Bailey said. “A walk and a hit-by-pitch always hurts here. He’s one of the best in the game. I think he had his stuff, just kind of struggled a little bit.”
Rodríguez’s struggles on Monday night left Verlander with yet another no-decision that was the product of a blown save. While Verlander again ended up winless, the 42-year-old continued proving he can be an effective pitcher more than four decades into his existence.
According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, Verlander’s 98.3 mph four-seam fastball is the second-fastest by a pitcher who’s at 42-years-old during the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), trailing only Fernando Rodney (98.8 mph). Over Verlander’s last three starts, he’s allowed just one earned run over 15 innings (0.60 ERA).
Verlander has been tinkering with his mechanics in recent starts, the most notable change coming during his start against the Philadelphia Phillies. Along with his glove and hand positioning, Verlander has moved closer to the third-base side of the rubber and “tinkered with some timing stuff.”
“I’ve always been a tinkerer,” Verlander said. “I feel like things have started to sync up better for me.”
While the night ended in frustration, Verlander had some fun with his infielders in the top of the fifth when he dove for a weakly-hit grounder from Horwitz. Verlander missed the ball, but the Giants got the out as third baseman Matt Chapman fielded and fired to Devers.
“All those guys come out there and I’m like, ‘Hey, we don’t need to call an ambulance here. I’m okay. I’m allowed to dive. Everything’s okay,’” Verlander said. “Everybody was kind of looking at me wide-eyed. ‘I’m all right. I’m not a little fragile egg. I can move around. I am a fielder, after all.’ I was having a good time with it.”
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