Bradley misses out on history in duel with Bumgarner

SAN FRANCISCO -- Right-hander Archie Bradley almost made history Thursday night at AT&T Park, but even though it didn't come to pass he was still all smiles after the D-backs' 7-6 win over the Giants in 12 innings.

Bradley had beaten 2014 National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw with six shutout innings in his first start last Saturday.

This time around, it was reigning World Series Most Valuable Player Madison Bumgarner who took the mound for the opposing team, and Bradley had the chance to become the first pitcher to beat a Cy Young and World Series MVP in his first two career appearances.

The Rockies' Randy Flores accomplished a similar feat in 2002 against the D-backs' Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, but while those games were Flores' first big league starts, he had already pitched 25 games in relief.

Bradley allowed a first-inning run Thursday, but then held the Giants in check for the next five innings while the D-backs built a 4-1 lead.

"I feel like that's going to be the norm for this team," Bradley said. "I feel like I'm going to get run support and it's just my job to go out there and keep us in the game."

With Bradley at 100 pitches, D-backs manager Chip Hale elected to lift him from the game in the seventh with two outs, a runner on first and lefty Brandon Crawford coming up.

"I felt fine, but he's the manager, he makes the calls and I'm OK with it," Bradley said. "Whatever he wants to do, that's his job."

Hale brought in left-hander Oliver Perez to face Crawford, who actually hits lefties at a better clip than righties, and Crawford hit an 0-1 pitch for a home run that brought the Giants to within one run.

"Oliver, that's his job and we really felt strongly that he would have a good chance to get him out," Hale said. "He just left a pitch up and in that was supposed to be away. Missed his spot and Crawford made him pay."

Bradley was still in line for the victory before the Giants tied things up in the ninth off closer Addison Reed.

Though the numbers weren't as good as in his first start, Bradley came away pleased.

"I think pitching here against San Fran -- World Series champs last year -- and in a new ballpark [for me], I still had that kind of nervousness," he said. "Even like the first one, I feel very comfortable when I get on the mound. I just feel like I have a very good idea of what to do. I feel very confident in the game plan that we come up with."