Verlander Shines but Giants Fall Short in 5-4 Walk-Off Loss to Angels

Justin Verlander moved a step closer to the 300-win milestone he's chasing as he nears the end of his MLB career, but he came up just short of a victory on Sunday.

The 42-year-old was in line for his first win with the San Francisco Giants against the Angels, but closer Ryan Walker allowed four earned runs in the ninth inning, handing Los Angeles a 5-4 walk-off win.

While Verlander still has a long way to go to reach the rare milestone, Sunday’s solid performance showed he may still have some gas left in the tank. He threw six innings of one-run ball, allowing two walks and striking out six on 98 pitches. Aside from a tough 33-pitch fourth inning, Verlander was dominant.

“I felt better about it,” Verlander said after the game, which he exited with a 3-1 lead. “I feel like I’ve been turning in the right direction, and it was nice to give us a better chance to win today.”

Sunday’s loss wrapped up a 10-day, three-city road trip for the Giants, who finished with a 5-5 record against the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Angels. Manager Bob Melvin praised Verlander’s performance but acknowledged that Walker, who had been flawless all year, had an off day, costing the Giants a potential victory. This came despite strong contributions from Sam Huff, who hit a two-run homer, and Willy Adames, who drove in two RBIs.

“Just a little off from the very beginning,” Melvin said of Walker. “He gets the punch-out and you feel pretty good about him getting out of the inning, but I think that’s the first runs he’s given up all year, so you’re going to have some bad days. Unfortunately, it happened today.”

The Giants (14-8) now return to Oracle Park for a seven-game homestand, where they’ll face the Milwaukee Brewers (12-10) and Texas Rangers (13-9).

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