The 25-year-old outpitched Cy Young Award contender Rick Porcello over eight innings in a 1-0 win last Wednesday and has held opponents scoreless in four of his past five starts.
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San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy hopes a gut-check victory Tuesday will be the boost his club needs as it fights for its playoff life.
Los Angeles wore pregame shirts with the hashtag, #DontLookAtMe, mocking Bumgarner, but San Francisco seemed more set on winning and less on retaliation.
After building a cushion in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still being extremely careful with Rich Hill and his pesky blister.
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens). New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) turns his back to the plate as Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman runs the bases after hitting a third-inning solo home run in a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, in New Y.
“I felt uncomfortable”, he said through a translator. He was limited to just 5⅓ innings only because of an apparent leg injury in the sixth inning, leaving with a left groin strain. He allowed hits in four of his five innings and added a walk in the fourth inning to load the bases with two outs before freezing Brandon Belt for a called third strike.
“I didn’t see them”, Manager Dave Roberts said.
“At the end of the day, it’s disappointing”, Hill said.
Brandon Crawford, as indispensable as any Giant, was pulled between innings Tuesday night after dislocating his left pinky finger. “We really needed that”. “That’s on me. I take 100 percent responsibility”.
A native of the Dominican Republic who is in his first season with the Giants, Cueto entered Tuesday with a 2-0 record, one complete game and 1.96 ERA in three starts this month after losing his final two outings of August. “You can’t miss like that at this level”.
“We had traffic on the bases all night long but just couldn’t push any across”. Sergio Romo earned his first save of the season with a hitless ninth. Cueto has emphatically rewarded that faith in his first Giants season, pitching to a pristine 2.79 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 in 212 1/3 innings behind ace Madison Bumgarner in the rotation. Steven Okert struck out pinch-hitters Yasiel Puig and Kike’ Hernandez, running the Dodgers to 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. You get two guys competing. RHP Brandon McCarthy (right hip stiffness) threw a simulated game of five innings and 75 pitches.
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Corey Seager provided most of the Dodgers offense, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, his 40th of the season, extending his rookie record. He has made two starts against the Giants this season and gone 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA.
