© Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants’ time in Arizona ended with a bang on Friday afternoon, but not a good one.
That bang reverberated off a line drive from the bat of Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield that not only fractured Madison Bumgarner’s left hand, but also cracked the Giants’ hope to regain contention after winning only 64 games a year ago.
Before exiting the game, Bumgarner was cruising against the Royals, as he had in his previous five spring starts.
Bumgarner came into Friday’s finale fresh off a six-inning one-hitter against the Colorado Rockies. That brought his ERA down to 2.84 heading into Friday, and he finished the spring with 30 strikeouts over 21 innings, second only to Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
Before Friday, all signs pointed towards Bumgarner putting in a full season, unhindered by any lingering repercussions of last year’s shoulder injury.
His final three strikeouts came against the Royals, two of which kicked off Friday afternoon’s game. He’d limited Kansas City to a Cheslor Cuthbert home run, Tyler Collins single, and Michael Saunders walk before disaster struck.
Or, more accurately, Merrifield’s liner struck.
“You can’t control your reactions when something happens that fast,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously, I’d rather wore it off the chest or most anywhere else. But that’s what happened.”
Bumgarner is scheduled to undergo surgery on Saturday that will place stabilizing pins in his pitching hand, the same one that threw the final out of the 2014 World Series and hoped to deliver the Giants a much-needed rebound this season.
It’ll be 4-6 weeks before Bumgarner gets those pins taken out, during which time he won’t be able to throw. Add in time to rebuild his strength and possibly put in a few rehab starts, and it’s going to be a while before the Giants have their ace back.
The Giants learned on Thursday that they’ll also be without their No. 3 workhorse starter Jeff Samardzija, who will start the first month of season on the disabled list with a strained right pectoral muscle.
Over the course of roughly 48 hours, the Giants went from the healthiest team in the Cactus League to a state of scrambling with one of the most depleted rotations in the major leagues. It’s left them asking the question: what comes next?
There wasn’t any doubt that Johnny Cueto, who likely will take the mound on Opening Day, would assume his No. 2 role in the rotation, but Bumgarner and Samardzija’s injuries almost grantee roster spots for Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, and Derek Holland, who came to camp as a non-roster invitee.
“So, I mean, it’s my part now,” Holland told The Athletic. “I’ve got to do what I can to help this team and keep everything going in our direction. Because once those guys come back, we know what they’re capable of. We want both of these guys stepping in and being able to not worry if we’re so far back.”
The one fortunate note surrounding Bumgarner’s injury is that, if need be, the Giants won’t need a fifth starter until April 10. Meaning that, for the time being, the Giants can survive with those four starters through the first 10 games of the season.
However, when the time comes to reinstate a five-man rotation, Bumgarner and Samardzija will still be out of commission. But that could mean Tyler Beede or Andrew Suarez making their major league debuts earlier than expected.
Both flashed their potential during spring training, but neither put up strong enough numbers that makes them obvious candidates for the fifth rotation spot.
Beede’s best start against the Cleveland Indians on March 3, where he held his opponent to a home run and walk over three innings, is hidden behind his bloated 10.80 spring ERA. As for Suarez, he started and finished his spring with two-inning shutouts, but in between ran into troubles that spiked his ERA up to 7.62.
If not Beede or Suarez, the Giants could opt to utilize a bullpen game instead of a fifth starter, which isn’t completely out of the question given how strong the relievers looked this spring.
Neither Hunter Strickland or Josh Osich gave up a run during their time in Arizona. Strickland only allowed one hit over 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts while Osich dazzled the Giants with 10.1 scoreless innings, where he gave up only six hits and struck out 14. Corey Gearrin also pitched his way to a 1.93 ERA over 4.2 innings pitched with five strikeouts.
With Tony Watson, Sam Dyson, and Mark Melancon all confident they’ll turn their rough spring numbers into regular season success, the Giants bullpen looks suited to serve as a temporary fifth starter.
If that’s the route they choose the go, the Giants are free to add another pitcher to their staff before Samardzija returns.
That opens the door to bring back Steven Okert, who pitched beautifully before being optioned in the first wave of roster cuts, or keep Julian Fernandez, the flame-throwing Rule 5 selection the Giants need to keep on their roster if they want to hang onto him,
Yet, the first month of the season isn’t going to be a walk in the park. It’ll be more like a walk through the NL West. The Giants will open the season against the Dodgers, then they’ll play 22 of April’s 26 games in their division. That includes seven against the Dodgers, five against the Padres, and six against the Diamondbacks.
And without Bumgarner or Samardzija, the Giants’ front loaded schedule is now all the more daunting.
Keaton Moore is a KNBR.com contributor, follow Keaton on Twitter at @KeatonAMoore.