San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos (17) hits a two run single off of St Louis Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy (36) in the bottom of the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Sep 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants couldn’t help starter Justin Verlander with the gloves or the bats as they lost another game he started in game one against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. The Cardinals offensive boom in the fifth inning surged them past the Giants in a 6-5 win. The loss drops the Giants to 3.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race.

Monday night the Giants hosted the Cardinals in the first game of a six-game home stand to end the season at Oracle Park. Verlander was on the mound for his 28th start of the season. The veteran right-hander looked to take the momentum from his last four starts, where he’s posted a 0.36 ERA (1er, 25.0ip) with a .149 opponent average, 0.92 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts, into Monday. 

Verlander did not allow a run through his first two innings pitched and got some help in the first inning from Heliot Ramos on his 19th home run of the season. 1-0 Giants before the Cardinals offense came alive and scored in three straight innings. 

The Redbirds tied it in the third and set down any momentum the Giants offense had by throwing a zero in the bottom half. St. Louis struck again in the fourth to take the lead, but this time the Giants had an answer. 

Matt Chapman, Casey Schmitt, and Patrick Bailey all singled to manufacture a run and tie the game 2-2. Later with two outs, Heliot Ramos singled home two more runs to put the Giants ahead 4-2 with his second and third RBI of the night. 

In the top of the fifth, the Cardinal offense took off. A four-spot in the fifth inning made it a 6-4 ballgame in favor of the Cardinals. Verlander did not make it out of the inning and ended up with another no-decision through 4.1 IP. 

After the fifth, the Giants bullpen shut out the Cardinals the rest of the night and Devers hit his 33rd home run of the season to get the Giants within a run in the home fifth. 

The offense could not overcome the one-run deficit and the Cardinals held on behind a great bullpen effort and took game one of the series 6-5.

Tuesday night Logan Webb will get the start for San Francisco in what will be another must-win game scenario if they want to have any sort of shot at the postseason after this week. 

Starters: For the Cards RHP Andre Pallante (6-14, 5.23) vs. for the Giants RHP Logan Webb (14-11, 3.27), Tuesday night at Oracle Park. First pitch at 6:45pm.