Bumgarner matches Lincecum with 9K gem

July 1st, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO -- No one knows what uniform will be wearing four weeks from now, imbuing each of his starts with the Giants with a sense of impending finality.

When Bumgarner walked off the field after striking out nine over seven innings of one-run ball in Sunday’s 10-4 win over the D-backs at Oracle Park, he received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance, many of whom seemed determined to show their appreciation for the longtime Giants ace while they still can.

“I’m like a fan,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “You really appreciate what these guys can do, and that was vintage Bum. He was really good today.”

Bumgarner will be one of the most accomplished starters available at the July 31 Trade Deadline, and he added to his already impressive credentials by striking out Carson Kelly in the seventh inning to reach 1,704 strikeouts for his career, tying former teammate Tim Lincecum for the second-most in San Francisco-era history.

It marked the second consecutive start in which Bumgarner has climbed the leaderboard, as he moved past his friend Matt Cain after striking out a season-high 11 in his start against the Rockies last week.

“I meant to kind of razz him a little bit, but I just haven’t done it yet,” Bumgarner said of Cain.

Bumgarner said he remains in touch with both Cain and Lincecum, though he said there will be a bit less razzing for Lincecum “because he did that in like five years or something like that.”

went 4-for-5 with a homer and a career-high five RBIs and Buster Posey added three hits to back Bumgarner, who helped the Giants split this four-game series with the D-backs and finish June with a 14-13 mark, their first winning month of the season.

Bumgarner retired 10 consecutive batters to start the game before yielding a one-out single to Tim Locastro in the fourth. Eduardo Escobar followed with another single to put runners on first and second with two outs, but Bumgarner came back to strike out Christian Walker looking to end the inning.

The D-backs scored their lone run of the afternoon off Bumgarner in the fifth after Nick Ahmed tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ildemaro Vargas.

As the calendar prepares to flip to July, Bumgarner is reminding suitors why he’ll be an attractive piece to contenders looking to fortify their rotations ahead of the Trade Deadline. Over his last two starts, the 29-year-old left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, racking up 20 strikeouts over 13 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .156 batting average.

Bumgarner said those numbers are partly the result of an adjustment he made after he allowed a season-high six runs over 3 2/3 innings against the Dodgers on June 20. He realized that he had been caught using only one side of the plate, prompting him to start moving the ball around more and mixing his pitches better in his subsequent starts.

“He’s right there,” Bochy said. “You look at the stuff and the numbers. He had the hiccup three starts ago [against the Dodgers], but he bounced back off that. Everybody is going to have a game where they’re not quite on, but really besides that game, he’s really pitched well. Once we got through April, you just saw him getting better. He’s throwing the ball outstanding.”

Bumgarner would prefer if you didn’t call the performance “vintage,” though.

“I’m not really a fan of that vintage deal,” Bumgarner said. “It makes me sound old. You can call me that when I’m 40.”