Not commenting = not providing The Verge with any information, so The Verge doesn't have anything that comes directly from reddit that could reflect negatively on them.

Reddit only reaching out when a correction is needed is done in bad faith. The hope is that, by saying "you got this wrong, which is not surprising because none of the information you're getting is coming directly from reddit," the reader comes to the conclusion that The Verge isn't reliable and nothing they publish about this topic should be trusted.

By printing that statement, The Verge is undercutting reddit's attempt to discredit them. It basically tells the reader: "If we got something wrong it's because reddit has decided that it's more important to hope we make a mistake (that they will try to make into a big deal), rather than communicate clearly to make sure the true story gets published accurately." In other words, reddit hopes The Verge screws up, so they can spin things and convince people to believe reddit instead of believing The Verge. The Verge is saying "we see the game you're playing and we're not gonna play it. And we're telling everyone that you're trying to play this stupid game.