SAN FRANCISCO — On a night when offensive production came at a premium, the Giants hottest slugger stepped up when it mattered most. With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford broke a 0-0 tie with a solo moon shot that landed in the right field bleachers. AT&T Park bellowed in cheers, a mixture of happiness and relief, as Crawford trotted his way to another Giants win — their fourth straight and seventh in eight games. They are now 42-39.
It was only fitting that Crawford, the only player in San Francisco’s 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies with multiple hits, came through in the clutch. Wednesday night encapsulated San Francisco’s past week-and-a-half, fueled with shutdown pitching and timely hitting.
It all started with the man this club missed so dearly for the season’s first three months as he nursed a broken pinky: Madison Bumgarner. This was his night from the start.
Facing his first batter of Wednesday night’s matchup, Bumgarner struck out DJ LeMahieu. The strikeout implanted Bumgarner as the fourth-fastest left-handed pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts since 1920, or the start of the live ball era. He joined Randy Johnson, Clayton Kershaw, and David Price as the only pitchers to do so in 239 games or fewer.
There is no longer a doubt that Bumgarner has fully returned. His pitch count has gradually risen ever since he made his MLB debut June 5. He has eclipsed 100 pitches in his last three appearances, all of which were quality starts.
Last Thursday, he became the first Giants pitcher this season to last eight innings. He added eight strikeouts without allowing a run. On Wednesday, he was just as dominant, fanning eight and allowing no runs in seven innings. His command and pitch variation fooled Rockies hitters all night long.
Bumgarner had a no-hitter until Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hit a bloop double to end Bumgarner’s bid. The only hiccup of his night was partially self-constructed. He walked two batters following Gonzalez, carefully avoiding the heart of the strike zone because Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland was due up with the bases loaded. Bumgarner calmly struck out Freeland to preserve the shutout.
Bumgarner’s night was not done. He retired six of the next seven Colorado batters. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he convinced Giants manager Bruce Bochy to let him hit, although Austin Slater had already made his way to the on-deck circle in Bumgarner’s place. The Giants ace got his wish but struck out.
That was the end of his night.
The Giants struggled to hit Freeland, who has given the Giants some trouble this year. In two previous appearances entering Wednesday night, he allowed four combined runs in 11.3 innings against San Francisco. Freeland used sinking off-speed to yield 12 ground ball outs and only four hits.
Freeland and Bumgarner headlined this pitching duel, producing nearly identical pitching lines. At some point, this 0-0 tie would be broken, though neither team had given much reason to believe it would be done in nine innings.
Crawford was the one to do it. Just three innings earlier, he stepped to the plate with two outs and runners on first and third in the bottom of the sixth inning. He hit a bloop to left field, but five-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado retreated and made an impressive play to end the inning.
Crawford would not allow the same to happen in his next at-bat, sending a blast into the Giants’ fourth straight win amid their hottest stretch of the season.
