SAN FRANCISCO — After a disappointing end to their road slate, the Giants knew theyâ€d need to come out strong during their final homestand of the season to have any shot at hanging around the National League Wild Card race.
Theyâ€re not off to a good start.
The Giants inched closer toward elimination after falling to the Cardinals, 6-5, in Monday nightâ€s series opener at Oracle Park.
Heliot Ramos crushed a leadoff homer against Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy and then put the Giants ahead, 4-2, with a bases-loaded, two-run single in the fourth, but St. Louis erased the deficit by scoring four runs off Justin Verlander in the fifth.
At 77-80, the Giants are now 3 1/2 games behind the idle Mets and Reds for the final NL playoff spot with five games left to play. They could be eliminated as soon as Tuesday if they lose and the Mets win, a harsh reality for a club that stood only a half-game out of the third NL Wild Card spot entering play on Sept. 14.
“We just have to keep playing hard,†Ramos said. “Anything can happen.â€
Verlander entered Monday with a 0.87 ERA over his previous five outings, but he was charged with six runs (four earned) over 4 1/3 innings in his penultimate start of the year. It was clear that he wasnâ€t at his best stuff-wise, as he averaged 92.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, a 1.7 mph dip from his season average of 94 mph.
“The stuff today was not great,†Verlander said. “I felt a little lethargic out there. I tried to battle through as best I could. Weâ€ve been cracking the whip pretty hard. Itâ€s that time of year. That takes its toll, but Iâ€ve generally been feeling pretty good. This is the first one where I was a little lethargic. Just got to make sure I focus on my recovery this next time through and hopefully kind of refresh.â€
Verlander surrendered a game-tying, two-run homer to Iván Herrera in the game-turning fifth and then faced more trouble after Alec Burleson singled and Nolan Arenado doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Verlander subsequently retired Thomas Saggese on a flyout that was too shallow to score Burleson from third. The 42-year-old right-hander nearly avoided more damage by coaxing a fielderâ€s choice grounder from Pedro Pagés, but second baseman Casey Schmitt couldnâ€t throw home after he dropped the ball on the exchange, allowing Burleson to score the go-ahead run and knock Verlander out of the game.
“You could see right away the velo was down a little bit,†manager Bob Melvin said. “I think he might be a little bit on fumes right now. Heâ€s been pitching on a regular turn. Weâ€ve been moving him up out of necessity. But Iâ€ll tell you what, he still competes. Heâ€s on his way to potentially pitching his way out of that inning, and we end up making an error. Obviously, at that point in time, it was time to go get him with the pitches he had [84] in four-plus. But you could see he was ratcheting it up another level, like weâ€ve seen him a bunch here. Unfortunately, we let a run in.â€
Tristan Beck entered the game to replace Verlander and got another ground ball from Jordan Walker, but the Cardinals†right fielder hustled down the line and managed to beat out the potential inning-ending double play, knocking in another run to extend St. Louis†lead to 6-4.
Rafael Devers brought the Giants within one with an opposite-field solo shot off McGreevy in the bottom of the fifth, but they couldnâ€t add on after that, resulting in the clubâ€s eighth loss in its last 10 games.
“Itâ€s one of those games that we thought we should have won, obviously,†Ramos said. “Weâ€re trying to keep fighting. Weâ€re trying to make it to the playoffs. We just have to play better, thatâ€s it.â€
The Giants might not be in contention by the time Verlanderâ€s spot in the rotation rolls around again on Saturday against the Rockies, but he said he plans to make one more start regardless of where the team sits in the standings.
“I donâ€t see why I wouldnâ€t,†Verlander said. “As long as I feel okay physically, which I have, yeah. Itâ€s my job.â€
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