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The San Francisco Giants' pitching rotation has suffered a massive blow with star Justin Verlander going on the 15-day injured list because of a right pectoral injury. With other impact players on the Giants like Wilmer Flores and others doing well, losing Verlander will hurt them slightly, though there's a message for him that will up the ante on his motivation.
Verlander threw on the side on Wednesday, according to ESPN, and then he would learn he couldn't make his scheduled start for Saturday against the Washington Nationals. The 42-year-old would reveal the message that San Francisco said to him after being put on the injured list.
“They're saying, ‘give yourself a blow. Take the 15 days and let's get this behind you and be ready to go,” Verlander said.
He's also coming off a frustrating outing against the Athletics on Wednesday, throwing 84 pitches in four innings, striking out one, allowing two runs and three hits. Verlander's winless in 10 starts this season, as manager Bob Melvin gave insight into the plan.
“It just makes some sense right now not to push him too hard, because he wasn’t going to make this next start. He'll end up missing two starts, and then I think everything will be good,” Melvin said. “He's obviously not happy about it because he wants to make every start, but it was the prudent thing to do, just give him a little bit of a break right now.”
Giants' Justin Verlander on overcoming another bump in the road
As Verlander joined the Giants in the offseason on a one-year deal, the results have been middling, with the pectoral injury another bump in the road. ESPN reports that he's experiencing nerve irritation with the pectoral injury, though Verlander would say it's not related to the neck issue from last season.
“There are always things you're pushing through,” Verlander said in regards to Sunday's game. “It's always difficult to be 100 percent in this game. It was one of those things where I thought I was going to be just fine. Then I go out there and start throwing, look up (at the scoreboard) after the first pitch and see 90-91, and I thought, ‘Oh, boy. Gonna be a tough day.'”
“The worst-case scenario would be, ‘Hey, I’m pretty sure I can make the next start,’ and unfortunately, something happens or it doesn’t bounce back as quick as everybody thinks,” Verlander said. “Then that kind of hamstrings our starting staff and some other guys. I’m sure they don’t want to do that.”
Verlander is expected to be back after the 15 days on the IL, as San Francisco is currently 29-21, which puts them second in the NL West as they start a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Friday.
