Sunday’s win was his second consecutive complete game.
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He struck out the side in the first inning, didn’t allow a hit until the fifth and dispatched Bryce Harper on strikes three times. The Giants have won 11 of their last 13 games at AT&T Park.3. Bumgarner even helped himself by snagging Ian Desmond’s line drive up the middle in the second inning.
It has not been a productive trip to the West Coast so far for the Washington Nationals (58-56) who scored just one run in a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants (61-53) on Thursday night.
Harper was able to get up and finish the at-bat.
Nationals infielder Dan Uggla, now on the disabled list with a back issue, was presented with a World Series ring by the Giants on Friday night.
Miller, an NL All-Star last month and among the league leaders in ERA, wound up with his 16th straight winless start. “He’s so strong and bounces back so well”.
“Of course you want to win ballgames but our offense looked pretty good and I hope we can carry that over into tomorrow”, Harper said.
“It’s fun to do good right there after that”, said Tomlinson, who admitted that he’d only been walked intentionally a time or two in his life.
Vogelsong had a rough first inning, beginning the game with a lead off home run from Yunel Escobar, then walking three batters to load the bases.
That’s been the talk around China Basin, the overcrowded rotation, and Bruce Bochy has kept his mouth zipped on most matters surrounding his less than sturdy starting pitching lot. In the fourth inning, however, Ross hit a wall and the Giants took advantage of it. The only thing I can say is, I try to have the same intent and the same intensity whether it’s spring training or not, but this time of the year there’s no holding back. I think that’s evident today. Bumgarner went ahead 0-2 by throwing two high fastballs that Harper swung through.
Bumgarner hit an RBI double early and later connected for his fourth home run of the season and 10th of his career. Ross set up another quiet inning against the heart of the Giants order by getting three hot hitters in Posey, Pence and Crawford to get themselves out relatively easy. In this series especially, the offense responded. The Nationals had Strasburg, Scherzer and Gonzalez lined up for the first three games against the Giants, who not only beat all three but pounded the latter two for a total of 12 runs in 5 2/3 innings. But Bumgarner also drove in two of the club’s five runs with a hit-and-run double and solo home run, his fourth of the season. We felt he’d be the longest one to come back.
The illustrious four game sweep is always a tough feat to accomplish; however, with Madison Bumgarner on the mound for the Giants, it seemed feasible. “Just a great homestand”. However a number of injuries and under-performing players have ended much of that discussion and the team is really struggling in the second half of the season. But Kelby Tomlinson and Gregor Blanco scored runs as the Giants’ fill-ins for their injured regulars have continued to produce. “(That) was fitting. Marichal did it so many times”.
Here’s how Bumgarner’s game went on Sunday: since it was a complete game I guess it should go without saying that he pitched 9 solid innings, but I said it anyway, he allowed three hits and one walk, while striking out 14.
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That was enough for Price, who took Holmberg out after 64 pitches with the Reds down 6-3.
