SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Verlander has dealt with plenty of bad luck through his first two months as a Giant, watching multiple blown saves wipe out wins that not only would get him on the board in orange and black, but would enhance his chances of one day joining the 300-win club. The latest tough break will cost him at least a couple of weeks.
Verlander will go on the IL with nerve irritation in his right pectoral muscle, something that popped up in his last start. The Giants are optimistic that he will miss just the two starts before returning to the rotation, which has needed just six starters thus far.
Verlander played catch Wednesday morning and afterward told trainers that he wasn’t yet 100 percent. He said it was “borderline” for his scheduled start Saturday, and he couldn’t 100 percent guarantee that he would be ready five days later if the Giants skipped one start. That would have left the roster in a tough spot on a three-city trip, so the decision was made to be cautious.
The 42-year-old missed time last year with nerve irritation in his neck, but said this is not at all related to that injury.
“That’s really positive,” he said. “It’s just something I need to work through.”
Verlander has a 4.33 ERA through 10 starts, but it’s 2.97 over his last six, and he went at least six innings in four of those games. He lasted just four innings on Sunday, though, and his fastball was down about three mph. Verlander knew before that game that he wasn’t at his best, but he thought he could pitch through it. That changed in the first inning when he looked up and saw 90 mph on the scoreboard.
“Oh boy,” he told himself. “It’s gonna be a tough day.”
The Giants gave Verlander a couple of days to rest, but they had a pretty good idea all along that he might need more time. That gave them time to prepare some potential fill-in options.
The frontrunner would appear to be left-hander Kyle Harrison, who has been waiting for his shot since a late start to the spring kept him from competing with Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong, both of whom are currently in the rotation. Harrison’s velocity ticked up in Triple-A in late April and he was recalled earlier this month to be a reliever. He hit 97 mph on Tuesday night while throwing 1 1/3 innings.
Harrison could give the Giants about 50 pitches if needed, manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday morning. That could be enough if the Giants add another depth arm — Tristan Beck, Sean Hjelle, Mason Black and others would be options — to the bullpen. They also could use Thursday’s off day to move others up and give Harrison more time to prepare.
Jordan Hicks could likely give Melvin about 90 to 100 pitches since he is only a week removed from his last start, although he struggled when he was in the rotation, leading to the Giants giving that spot to Birdsong. Hicks on Wednesday was as sharp as he has been in weeks when he threw one inning out of the bullpen.
The Giants also could opt for a big promotion. Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt is their best pitching prospect and he was just named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week after throwing 14 shutout innings over two starts. Whisenhunt has thrown seven innings in all four of his May starts and allowed just four earned runs, with 28 strikeouts to two walks. The Giants have two open spots on the 40-man roster and easily could add Whisenhunt, although choosing him would be bypassing Harrison, who is just 23 and viewed as a big piece for future rotations.
There are options, and that’s the important thing. A year ago at this time, Melvin was patching it together when injuries hit the rotation.
“I feel like we have eight or nine guys who can come in and start games, which is nice,” staff ace Logan Webb said. “Whoever it is I think is going to do a great job … whoever it is, I’m excited about.”
