SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Verlander is still looking for his first win as a Giant, but for the fourth time, he at least got to watch a handshake line at the end of the day. This wasn't a win he was fully able to soak up, though.
Verlander's first pitch of the day was a 90 mph fastball, and it didn't get much better from there. He averaged 91.3 mph over his four innings and had dips of about three ticks on both his fastball and slider. After a 3-2 win over the Athletics, the veteran said he has been dealing with physical limitations.
"I was dealing with something physically that the team was aware of," Verlander said. "I was able to work through and didn't feel like I was going to put myself at risk for injury, but clearly it was affecting my velocity and mechanics."
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SIGN UP HERE Verlander didn't want to offer any additional details on which part of his body was aching, and manager Bob Melvin directed questions to Verlander. It doesn't appear to be serious, though, as Verlander said he's "pretty optimistic" he'll be able to make his start next Saturday in Washington, D.C.
"Hopefully it's a blip on the radar," he said.
Verlander was limited to 17 starts last year in Houston because of right shoulder inflammation and neck discomfort, but there have been no hiccups in his first season in San Francisco, at least until Sunday. The oldest player in the big leagues has thrown well in recent weeks, but on Sunday it was about limiting damage. The A's loaded the bases in the first and didn't score, and Verlander didn't come back out for the fifth after walking two and giving up a two-run single in the fourth.
The start was the first in Verlander's long career with at least five walks in four-or-fewer innings, and he said the mystery ailment "very much" impacted his command. There were a ton of glove-side misses, but the velocity was the sign that something was up.
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"I don't think anybody was really happy when the first pitch of the game was 90, but I was in constant communication with the staff and I think we were all confident that I wasn't going to risk a catastrophic injury while I was out there," Verlander said. "I wanted to go out and give us a chance."
After Verlander departed, the bullpen threw five scoreless innings. That allowed the lineup to come back in the eighth, when LaMonte Wade Jr. tripled, Patrick Bailey singled, Christian Koss put down a sacrifice bunt and Heliot Ramos singled to left to bring the winning run home.
The sweep of the A's largely came on the shoulders of Wilmer Flores, but on Sunday, two of the stars -- Wade and Bailey -- were players who had been desperate to join the party.
"There are certain at-bats that can be huge for you," Melvin said of Wade. "He has a history of being able to pinch-hit, so even though it hasn't been great for him, I think he's ready for those type of moments. Hopefully that spurs him. Bailey, too."