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On Wednesday afternoon, Justin Verlander made his 15th start of the season for the San Francisco Giants, taking the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite tossing six strong innings and striking out seven, he was handed the loss as San Francisco fell 13-0 at home. Verlander allowed four runs, but only two were earned, and gave up seven hits with no walks or hit batters. He faced 25 batters, surrendered just one home run, and finished the outing with a stat line that didn’t reflect the final score.
Following the Giants’ 13-0 loss to the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, Verlander’s younger brother, Ben Verlander — host of the Flippin’ Bats podcast — took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent his frustration over how the veteran pitcher’s season has been unfolding.
“I’m going to vent.
Yes it’s my brother. Yes I’m biased.
But Justin’s stats 100% do not tell the story of this season.
He’s had many very good starts with truly some of the worst luck I’ve ever seen. It makes no sense to me. Really frustrating to watch.
He’s still throwing 97mph with nasty offspeed.
That’s the end of me venting. Thank you.”
Verlander, a two-time World Series champion and future Hall of Famer, signed a one-year deal with the Giants worth $15 million earlier this year in January. So far, the results haven’t matched expectations. Through 15 starts, he has an 0-7 record, 4.70 ERA, and 1.42 WHIP — numbers that paint a rough picture until you look deeper at MLB advanced stats like his 4.16 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching, which removes defense and luck from the equation) and .316 BABIP.
That elevated BABIP (batting average on balls in play) suggests Verlander is suffering from poor luck and weak defensive support. During Wednesday’s start, he gave up only two earned runs over six innings, but defensive lapses and zero run support sank his outing — again.
The Giants’ offensive struggles during Verlander’s starts are especially puzzling when contrasted with their strong 51-43 record. Despite sitting in second place and firmly in playoff contention in the NL West, the team consistently falters when the former MVP with the Detroit Tigers in 2011 takes the mound — further supporting Ben’s claim about his brother’s tough luck.
This growing disparity between surface-level stats and underlying performance has fueled ongoing debates around MLB advanced stats. As Verlander continues to touch 97 mph and strike out nearly eight batters per nine innings, fans and analysts alike are starting to wonder if his winless season is more about bad timing than bad pitching.
His younger brother’s emotional defense adds a human layer to the numbers, a reminder that even elite athletes deal with narratives beyond their control. With the club in the thick of the NL postseason race, turning Verlander’s luck around could be key to their second-half surge.
