Justin Verlander began the 2025 MLB season needing 38 wins to reach 300 for his career, and 15 starts into his first Giants campaign, he still needs 38 wins to achieve that milestone.
Somehow, Verlander is 0-7 this season after taking the loss in the Giants’ 13-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday at Oracle Park.
Per OptaStats, Verlander is the first starting pitcher in the All-Star Game Era (1933) to enter the break with at least 65 strikeouts and zero wins.
Verlander pitched well enough to get the win Wednesday, but the Giants’ offense was silenced by starter Jesús Luzardo and the Phillies’ bullpen. In six innings, the 42-year-old allowed seven hits, four runs, two earned runs and didn’t walk any batters while striking out seven.
This certainly isn’t how Verlander or Giants manager Bob Melvin expected this season to go.
“I thought it was his best stuff of the year, by a pretty good margin,” Melvin told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “We just didn’t play well behind him and we didn’t score many runs, and that’s kind of been a theme when he’s pitched. But I thought his breaking ball was really good, his heater was good. It’s too bad. [He] ends up [giving up] what, only 2 earned runs, but we just don’t do enough for him on today on either side of the ball. Like I said, he pitched well.”
In eight of Verlander’s 15 starts this season, the Giants have scored two or fewer runs, making it hard for him to pick up that elusive first win with San Francisco.
Melvin understands the frustration of everyone in the clubhouse.
“I come in here saying the same thing,” Melvin told reporters. “It feels like every time we don’t score runs for him and I don’t know. At this point in time, he should certainly have a couple of wins and he doesn’t, unfortunately. I think we all kind of feel it.”
Verlander gets a chance to rest and reset with the upcoming MLB All-Star break, and he’ll resume the pursuit of a win early in the second half.
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