Verlander delivers his sharpest start yet for the Giants, but Angels’ rally denies him win No. 263

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A matchup between Justin Verlander and Mike Trout may not resonate the way it used to, but when Verlander struck out Trout with a fastball at 97.4 mph in the sixth inning, it was easy to appreciate that flash of greatness by the 42-year-old right-hander.

In fact, this entire start showed Verlander still has a bit left in the tank.

Verlander allowed a run and two hits in six innings Sunday. He was in line for his first victory with the San Francisco Giants until the Los Angeles Angels scored four runs in the ninth to steal a 5-4 win. Verlander struck out six and lowered his ERA to 5.47.

“Felt like I’ve been trending in the right direction,” Verlander told reporters. “It was nice to give us a better chance to win today.”

It would have been the 263rd career win for the three-time Cy Young Award winner. This was only the second time he made it through six innings in his last 14 starts. Verlander joined the Giants on a $15 million, one-year contract before the season.

Sunday was the best sign so far that this could be a worthwhile investment. Verlander became only the third pitcher in the last decade to pitch at least six innings while allowing two or fewer hits at age 42 or older. The others were Rich Hill and Bartolo Colon.

Trout is just 5 for 45 against Verlander. On Sunday, he went down swinging at a 96.2 mph fastball in the first inning, drew an eight-pitch walk in the fourth, then struck out swinging in the sixth on Verlander’s fastest strikeout pitch since 2023.

“Pitched great,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Got a little bit of a pitch count battle there at the end, but got through six. … Different velos on his fastball, slider when he needed it. Threw some curveballs and some changeups. Pitched really well.”

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