SF Giants announce surprising name will take the ball in first game of second half

The SF Giants announced who their starting pitcher will be in the first game of the second half. It was a little surprising as it turns out Justin Verlander will get the ball tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Maybe ten years ago no one would have batted an eye at Verlander, a perennial ace at the time, getting the first start of the second half for a team, but for him to be the first starter of the second half for the 2025 Giants is a little odd.

SF Giants announce Justin Verlander will start first game of second half

This news comes via John Shea of the San Francisco Standard on social media. Logan Webb only threw 11 pitches in his one inning of work at the All-Star Game on Tuesday so he probably could have made the start. 

Plus, Robbie Ray, who may well have been the team's MVP in the first half, started the last game of the first half and would have had four days of rest although he and Webb both traveled to Atlanta to participate in the All-Star Game festivities. Webb threw one solid inning while Ray did not pitch given he pitched basically right before the All-Star Game.

Maybe manager Bob Melvin is thinking the right move is to give both guys a bit of a breather coming off all the All-Star hoopla. The Giants know they are going to need both guys to be strong as possible in the second half so he probably doesn’t want to rush either one back by having them start the very first game of the second half.

Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on social media that Webb will take the ball on Saturday and Ray will start Sunday's game.

Still, Verlander is not exactly the most thrilling choice if the Giants are trying to get their second half started on the right foot. He has an 0-7 record and a 4.70 ERA in 15 starts in what has been a frustrating year. If he does not turn things around, the Giants may seriously have to consider finding a replacement for him either within the organization or via trade.

Yet, maybe the All-Star break is just what the doctor ordered for the 42-year-old. While no one can argue he was good in the first half, he did suffer from some bad luck so maybe his fortunes will change in the second half. He has made some adjustments so let's hope they pay off.

The Giants better hope they do because they are going to need their pitching to be a strength the rest of the season considering how poor their offense was for much of the first half.