"Don't have a lot of those guys beyond Justin Verlander" - Giants insider points out major reason for team's struggles against Padres pitchers

Despite a promising start to the season, the San Francisco Giants' plans of pushing for the NL West title and making it to the postseason have seemingly fallen.

The eight-time World Series champions' struggles continued in their most recent series, as they were defeated 3-1 by the San Diego Padres on the road. Over the four games, the Padres outscored the Giants 24-10.

According to insider John Shea, a major reason for the Giants' struggles at Petco Park was the difference in quality between the pitching staffs. While the Padres pitchers appeared to be masters at inducing vertical break on their pitches, Shea said that veteran ace Justin Verlander was the only player that San Francisco had on their roster that boasted a similar mastery.

"The induced vertical break is something that Bob Melvin has been speaking about," Shea said (7:16). "Nick Pivetta's backspin is so incredible, that the ball stays up vertically than the normal fastball, based on the gravity that will pull it down. Now, Justin Verlander, is top ten in baseball in induced vertical break. His spin rate is so extreme, that the ball doesn't drop as quickly as the normal fastball.

"For Pivetta, it was as high as 24 inches. The average fastball in the majors might by 16,17, 18 [inches], somewhere in there. In other words, they are high fastballs. The Padres have a lot of those [vertical break] guys, the Giants don't have a lot of those guys beyond Justin Verlander, maybe Randy Rodriguez,"

---

San Francisco Giants likely to miss out on a postseason spot for the fourth season in a row

Having endured a disappointing 2024 season, the San Francisco Giants headed into 2025 with optimism after making notable acquisitions in the offseason.

However, despite even displacing the table-topping Los Angeles Dodgers at one point early in the season, all-too-familiar consistency issues have continued to plague the team.

Justin Varlander in action against the Washington Nationals - Source: Getty

At the moment, have fallen out of the race for the NL West, and sit fourth in the standings with a 61-67 record. The wildcard, which remains their only hope to make it to the postseason, does not make for pleasant viewing either, as they sit 6.5 games out of the top three.

As a result, missing out on the playoffs for a fourth year in a row looks extremely likely.