And there was something so very familiar about the Giants’ 7-1 victory over Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Manager Dusty Baker didn’t sound too concerned: “Anybody who has ever had a stiff neck, I mean, you know you’re not yourself”, Baker said.
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I ve seen some insane things happen in this game when you re down and out, Huff said. “I’m just trying to keep up with the rest of the guys”, Gonzalez said. With Madison Bumgarner set to oppose Tanner Roark in the pitching matchup, the over/under for today’s game sits at 7.5 runs. He was coming off one the worst starts of his career, allowing 10 hits and eight runs in five innings against Philadelphia.
Roark (12-6) gave up five hits in seven innings. His last pitch came with runners on second and third, and centre fielder Ben Revere made a spectacular, over-the-shoulder catch to rob Brandon Belt of extra bases.
“Like I always say, defense wins championships and Tanner [Roark], he pitched one heck of a game”, Revere said. The offense has been limited to two runs or fewer nine times, and the pitchers have yielded 32 home runs in those 19 games.
Mark Melancon worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st save and first as a member of the Nationals.
Nunez, acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins on July 28, entered the game hitless in his previous 16 at-bats.
Manny Machado became the second player in major league history to homer in the first, second and third innings, driving in a career-high seven runs in a 10-2 rout of James Shields and the Chicago White Sox Sunday. He worked around five hits and three walks, striking out five. With Buster Posey on second and two outs in the fourth, Joe Panik lined a single to center. “If I had it to do again, I probably send him with two outs”. He used his flinty squint and precision stuff to hold the Nationals scoreless despite five hits and three walks. Instead, he lasted only 42/3 innings in his shortest outing this year, giving up four runs and eight hits.
Bumgarner retired 11 of the first 12 batters and didn’t allow a hit until Anthony Rendon’s two-out double in the fourth.
Should the division-leading Giants and Nats finish in first place with identical records and draw each other in an N.L. Division Series, the Nats would hold the tiebreaker for home-field advantage.
Nationals: INF Ryan Zimmerman missed a fourth straight game after being hit in the left wrist with a pitch Sunday in San Francisco.
Matt Cain validated the coaching staff’s decision to keep him in the rotation over Jake Peavy, Eduardo Nez had the breakout night that might allow him to settle in with his new club, Hunter Pence took a foul ball to the face and kept playing with a black eye that nearly required a cut man, and the Giants toppled an ace who held batters to a.127 average in July while winning N.L. Pitcher of the Month honors.
The Giants were fortunate when Pence appeared to avoid serious injury in the second inning despite fouling a ball off his face. Pence underwent a CT scan after Saturday’s game, which showed no fracture to the orbital socket. LHP Josh Osich (left forearm strain) threw in the bullpen Friday and could start his rehab assignment Monday. Their misfiring lineup limped into Nationals Park and knocked out Strasburg, a pitcher who was 15-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Goodwin replaced Harper and made his major league debut, and had a flyout in his lone at-bat.
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OUR PICK: The under is 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings between these two teams in Washington, is 13-3-1 in the last 17 meetings overall, and are 5-1 in Bumgarner’s last six starts versus the Nationals.
