After going 0-8 over his first 16 starts this season, Verlander pitched five scoreless innings and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts as he helped the Giants to a series-clinching 9-3 win over the Braves on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park.
Verlander struggled with command as he issued five walks, but he managed to qualify for the victory as he threw 98 pitches. It was Verlander’s first win since Sept. 28, 2024, when he was with the Astros. It was San Francisco’s first series win since July 7-9 against the Phillies.
The Giants used the longball to take a 6-0 lead after six innings. Rafael Devers continued to terrorize the Braves as he tallied his 20th career multi-homer game with a solo blast in the fifth and a three-run jack in the sixth.
Devers’ first home run was off a slider by Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider. The slider was .90 feet off the ground. It was the second-lowest pitch to result in a home run this season. The only pitch lower that resulted in a home run was when Pete Crow-Armstrong went deep off a pitch that was .86 feet off the ground.
Devers went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the finale and 7-for-14 with five RBIs in the series against Atlanta.
After what was essentially a bullpen game to open the series on Monday — which resulted in a 9-5 Giants loss — San Francisco held Atlanta’s bats scoreless for 17 consecutive innings before the Braves broke through with three runs in the bottom of the seventh on Wednesday. During that 17-inning span, the Giants scored 20 unanswered runs.
