SAN FRANCISCO — Despite stranding 13 runners in eight innings, the Giants (40-26) squeaked past the Brewers (30-35), 3-2, backed by eight strong innings from Madison Bumgarner (8-2, 1.91 ERA). It’s the team’s 16th one-run win of the season, the most in the major leagues. Here’s how we arrived to that point Tuesday night.
The big moment
Bumgarner’s proven the damage he can do with a grooved fastball. He’s more capable than almost any pitcher swinging a bat, and heck, more capable than a chunk of position players at hitting home runs. Like any hitter, a product of Bumgarner’s success has affected the pitches he’s seeing.
With runners on first and second in the seventh inning of a tied game, Brewers reliever Will Smith wasn’t mindlessly throwing to Bumgarner. In fact, he may have thought a little too much, firing consecutive breaking pitches to the backstop to hand the Giants a 3-2 lead. Bumgarner later walked in the at-bat, rounding out a 1-for-1 game with a pair of walks.
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At the plate
More so than any Giant on the active roster, Brandon Crawford’s been a force with runners in scoring position. He entered Tuesday’s game with a team-leading .351 average with runners in scoring position, cushioned by a two-out, two-run single on Monday with the bases loaded. He delivered again for the Giants, lining another two-out hit with runners in scoring position.
He gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the third inning, and worked a walk in the fifth inning to load the bases with no outs. Angel Pagan scored the Giants second run with a groundout to first base, but Corey Knebel doused the rally from there, inducing unproductive outs from Gregor Blanco and Bumgarner. The 2-1 Giants lead through six innings shielded that the team had nine hits through five innings, and was only 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position up to that point.
The Giants left at least two runners on base through the game’s first six innings. The pattern continued into the seventh, but the Giants finally broke through thanks to Bumgarner’s presence at the plate. Will Smith fired two breaking balls past Jonathan Lucroy to score the Giants’ go-ahead run.
On the mound
Madison Bumgarner had a number of gems surrounding his Tuesday night start. His six straight starts allowing one run or less was the longest stretch by a Giant in 22 years. Opponents haven’t had hit with runners in scoring position in their last 28 at-bats. His six-game winning streak was the longest since Barry Zito won seven straight in 2012. For the most part, the Giants’ ace delivered Wednesday night.
He retired the first nine hitters he faced, coasting on 35 pitches until Jonathan Villar looped a single to center field to start the fourth inning. He gave up his eighth home run of the year to Lucroy, who stayed inside a slider to lift it over the left-field wall. Bumgarner rebounded nicely by striking out two of the next three batters to end his fifth inning.
The Giants gave the left-hander a lead to start the sixth, and Bumgarner gave it away with a pair of two-out hits in the sixth inning to tie the game at two. He struck out Chris Carter with his 100th pitch to end the frame, and picked off Keon Broxton to end the eighth inning.
In the ‘pen
Santiago Casilla entered for Bumgarner in the ninth, saving his 14th game after a spirited, 11-pitch battle with Ryan Braun.
Trainer’s room
Brandon Belt was hit on the right foot in the sixth inning, and later departed after taking the field in the seventh. We’ll get an update on his status after the game. The Giants also placed Matt Cain on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain before the game, the same injury Cain was previously shelved with.
On deck
Johnny Cueto (9-1, 216 ERA) starts for the Giants on Wednesday afternoon, facing a Brewers team he’s pitched the second-most innings of his career against. He’s 10-3 lifetime with a 2.79 ERA against Milwaukee. He’s opposed by Jimmy Nelson (5-5, 3.43) at 12:45 p.m. on KNBR 680.
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