Justin Verlander Dominates To Begin July

The New York Mets dug themselves into a hole with a 7-19 record in the month of June, only outperforming the Kansas City Royals (6-20). It felt as if every mistake was leading to a loss, during that stretch, but the team was hoping for better results in July. Justin Verlander provided just that, showcasing his most dominant performance of the season in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

It was a phenomenal day for the veteran right-handed starter. He did not let a Giant get into scoring position until the sixth inning. Verlander was able to use his slider to play off his four-seam fastball, a combination that led to very little success for the opposing hitters. To make matters even better, the Mets gave him an early 3-0 lead with home runs from Francisco Álvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor. After that, the 40-year-old veteran was not going to let his team down.

The Giants finally had some success against Verlander in the seventh, scoring their first run (unearned due to an error) of the game on a double play via Thairo Estrada. Blake Sabol and Austin Slater then reached, bringing the tying run to the plate. The next batter, Brandon Crawford, found himself with a 3-2 count, so Verlander needed a putaway pitch. He went back to the slider. The Giants shortstop fouled it back into Álvarez’s glove, preserving the Mets’ 4-1 lead at the end of the inning.

“Much better,” Verlander said of his mechanics. “The slider was one of the best things that I can take away from today. … Wasn’t perfect, but was able to make pitches when I needed to.”

Verlander has shown flashes of greatness in his first season with the Mets, but his outing against the Giants was certainly the most dominant one. Hitters were unable to do damage against his slider, time and time again. He gave the Mets exactly what they needed as this group looks to turn the page in July.

The Mets have a long way to go before they could find themselves in the playoff hunt, so taking it day by day is the best course of action. “I constantly see that they respond the next day,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There’s a real accountability to try to get where we want to get. The potential’s still there for us.” The Mets will look to win their first series in over a month on Sunday, as David Peterson faces off against Ross Stripling.

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