MILWAUKEE -- Giants starter Ty Blach took his first loss in more than a month on Wednesday, but his outing went beyond the box score for manager Bruce Bochy.
Blach gave up five earned runs on nine hits over six innings in a 6-3 loss to the Brewers, but Bochy sees a potential for the lefty to become a consistent member of the Giants' rotation.
"He has good command and the stuff is good, too. It probably doesn't get talked about, but he's got enough velocity and movement on the fastball and a good changeup," Bochy said.
Blach's start was his ninth of the season in place of the injured Madison Bumgarner, who is on the 60-day disabled list with a shoulder strain and bruised ribs. Prior to the loss, Blach had won four straight starts, including a complete-game shutout over the Phillies on June 2.
"I don't know if I have to learn any more about him," Bochy said. "I love the way he pitches. The tempo. I love strike throwers, and he is. He throws quality strikes. The changeup has only gotten better and the breaking ball has only gotten better. That was an area that he needed to improve on and he's done that. He's a Major League starter."
Blach even showed his toughness at the plate on Wednesday, nearly getting hit in the head by a pitch from Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson and responding by laying down a sacrifice bunt on the next pitch.
"The thing you like about him is he doesn't get rattled," Bochy said. "They threw a ball at his head. That's what I like about him. The next pitch he got right in there and laid down a perfect bunt. This is who this kid is."
Bochy showed his confidence in Blach by letting him face Brewers infielder Orlando Arcia with a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the sixth -- a move usually reserved for starters with more experience.
"We knew we were going to try to make some quality pitches and make him hit our pitch," Blach said. "We just kind of attacked it that way and if we were falling too much behind there, we probably would have put him on, but just tried to make some quality pitches."
While Blach hopes to start alongside Bumgarner in the Giants' rotation one day, he's enjoying learning from and observing the four-time All-Star for now.
"Getting to watch him pitch and watch him work, not only on start days but between starts, it's pretty impressive to see the way he goes about his business," Blach said. "Gives you a lot of confidence to know that you've got that kind of guy showing you how it's done and see his work ethic, so you can definitely build on that and learn from him."