SF Giants’ Verlander caps off year with victory against Rockies

SAN FRANCISCO Watching from afar Bob Melvin assumed that Justin Verlander s sustained success was primarily a product of his ability Over the last eight-ish months Melvin learned first-hand that Verlander didn t craft a Hall of Fame career on ability alone From the other side you d think it s just the talent that he just goes out there and doesn t really even need scouting reports just goes with what his strengths are Melvin declared But he digs into everything he possibly can including all the analytics Verlander wrapped up his first season with the Giants by recording his fourth win of the season and the th of his career as San Francisco beat the Colorado Rockies - on Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park Over six innings Verlander allowed two runs both on solo homers with seven strikeouts to one walk All in all the -year-old concludes his th season in the majors with a - record ERA and strikeouts over innings Second baseman Casey Schmitt provided the bulk of the Giants offense hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the second that gave them a lead they d never lose I think it s a great year Melvin commented pregame We didn t give him much run promotion early on The longer the season went on the better he s pitched He s ascertained things late in the season by experimenting and being who he is and unfailingly determined looking for something to make himself better Not only has it been great to watch it s been great for all our other guys to watch too That started in spring training He s made quite the impact here Verlander signed a one-year million deal with the Giants following a season with the Houston Astros marred by injuries and inconsistency one where he posted a ERA over starts For all he d already accomplished Verlander communicated reporters upon signing that the passion to pitch still burned bright The fire is still burning Verlander reported in January The first three-and-a-half months of the regular season were not kind to Verlander He not only ended the first half with a ERA missing a month due to right pectoral soreness but he made no progress in his pursuit of wins Whether it was due to bullpen blowups or silent offenses Verlander entered the All-Star break without a single win to his name Verlander s ERA nearly hit five when he allowed four runs and recorded five outs against the Toronto Blue Jays to open the second half but the right-hander s fortunes would soon flip for the better Beginning when he recorded his first win as a Giant on July Verlander turned in his best performances of the year when the Giants needed it bulk Over his final starts Verlander posted a ERA over innings with strikeouts Along the way Verlander passed both Walter Johnson and Gaylord Perry on the all-time strikeouts list at the moment residing in eighth place Going into next season Verlander only necessities strikeouts to pass Don Sutton for seventh place I d love to see him back Melvin noted He s going to get a nice offer It wouldn t even shock me if he got a two-year deal based on the way he s pitched It wouldn t surprise me if there were a lot of offers coming for him this coming year