Justin Verlander to the 15-Day Injured List
San Francisco Giants right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right pectoral injury, manager Bob Melvin said following Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The decision was made after Verlander pitched on Wednesday. During the session, it became apparent to Verlander that he would not be able to make his scheduled start against the Washington Nationals on Saturday and possibly not the following one either.
“They’re saying, ‘take a break. Take the 15 days and let’s get through this so you’re ready’,” Verlander said about the Giants.
Justin Verlander
San Francisco expects Verlander to be out for only a short period.
“He’ll end up missing two starts and then I think everything will be fine,” Melvin said. “Obviously he’s not happy because he wants to make every start, but it was the prudent thing to do.”
Bob Melvin
The tricky part of the prognosis is that Verlander is experiencing nerve irritation in the pectoral muscle. The 42-year-old pitcher insisted that it is not related to the neck injury he suffered in June of last season with the Houston Astros, which led him to miss more than two months.
Verlander hasn’t won in 10 starts with the Giants and struggled in Sunday’s outing against the Athletics.
Verlander struggled with velocity and control in four innings against the Athletics and issued a season-high five walks. He allowed two runs, three hits and struck out one.
“There are always things you’re battling,” Verlander said, referring to Sunday’s outing. “It’s always tough to be 100 percent in this game. It was one of those things where I thought I’d be okay. Then I go out there and start throwing, I look (at the scoreboard) after the first pitch and see 90-91, and I thought, ‘Oh, wow. It’s going to be a tough day.'”
Justin Verlander
Verlander is 0-3 with an ERA of 4.33 in his first season with San Francisco. He has struck out 41 and walked 21 in 52 innings.
The three-time American League Cy Young Award winner and AL MVP in 2011 is in his 20th season in Major League Baseball. A nine-time All-Star, Verlander has a 262-150 record with a 3.31 ERA in 536 career starts.
Melvin said it was too early to make a decision about who will start Saturday’s game.
