Giants' winning streak snapped as Walker allows three runs in ninth to Cardinals

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on Sep 6, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ST. LOUIS — The San Francisco Giants lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Saturday night at Busch Stadium as closer Ryan Walker allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth without recording a single out, ending San Francisco’s winning streak at five games.

Nolan Gorman and Mason Wynn led off the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back singles, then Walker loaded the bases by plunking Jimmy Crooks. The Cardinals brought the game within one run on an RBI single by Thomas Saggese, then Jordan Walker delivered a walk-off, two-run double.

The Giants’ streak of consecutive games with at least one home run ends at 18, one shy of tying the 1947 New York Giants.

With a strikeout of Nolan Gorman in the sixth, Justin Verlander recorded the 3,535th strikeout of his career to pass Giants Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry for eighth on the all-time strikeouts list. The next pitcher for Verlander to pass is Don Sutton, who totaled 3,574 strikeouts over 23 seasons. Verlander pitched six shutout innings with five strikeouts to no walks.

Verlander, who has a 3.52 ERA over 10 starts in the second half, benefited from several excellent defensive plays. In the second, right fielder Drew Gilbert bumped into the wall in foul territory when tracking down Thomas Saggese’s fly-ball, causing the ball to bounce out of his glove. Gilbert stuck with the play and corralled the ball to record the out.

Along with Gilbert’s circus catch, second baseman Casey Schmitt made a leaping catch in the fourth to rob Iván Herrera of a hit in the fourth. Catcher Patrick Bailey helped stymie a rally in fifth by throwing out Victor Scott II trying to steal third.

The Giants, as they’ve been wont to do over the last two weeks, struck first, plating a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Casey Schmitt and an RBI single by Drew Gilbert.

____