Bumgarner looks like an All-Star vs. Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO >> When Major League Baseball announced the All-Star Game rosters Sunday, a Giants left-hander who is no stranger to the Midsummer Classic was in the midst of a dominant performance.
Madison Bumgarner looked like one of baseball’s best pitchers in the Giants’ 10-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, but he’s not the lefty headed to Cleveland to represent San Francisco on July 9.
That honor belongs to closer Will Smith, who was not needed Sunday after the Giants’ offense racked up six runs in a seventh-inning outburst that keyed a blowout victory.
“I don’t know if it has
sunk in yet,” Smith said. “It feels pretty cool right now. Just to sit out that year and come back and have this kind of success, I don’t know if I ever really thought it would be this good.”
Smith sat out the entire 2017 season and the first month of 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he’s emerged as one of the league’s top relievers, converting 21 consecutive saves to open the season.
Bumgarner, a four-time All-Star, didn’t need to wait until the rosters became official to congratulate Smith on the honor.
“I congratulated him like a week ago,” Bumgarner said. “We did do something for him in (the clubhouse) before the game, too. I don’t think it was any surprise to anybody. He deserves to be there.”
Like Smith, Bumgarner has missed significant time in recent seasons due to injury. He lost two-plus months to a separated shoulder in 2017 and two more months to a fractured hand last year. Concerns over his health, velocity and ability to pitch at a high level have been hot topics this season, particularly as the Giants gear up to become sellers at this year’s trade deadline.
Rival executives and scouts have spent the better part of the year examining Bumgarner’s flaws, but Sunday he reminded everyone that he doesn’t have very many. With seven innings of one-run ball against the Diamondbacks, Bumgarner proved he’s still capable of being an All-Star-caliber pitcher.
“I’m like a fan,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “You really appreciate what these guys can do and that was vintage Bum today.”
Bumgarner has racked up 20 strikeouts in his last 13 innings, but the starter doesn’t quite agree with his manager’s assessment. He doesn’t believe the word “vintage” should be applied to him just yet.
“You can call me that when I’m 40,” Bumgarner said.
With a strikeout of Arizona catcher Carson Kelly to end his day in the top of the seventh, Bumgarner moved into a tie for second place with Tim Lincecum for the most strikeouts (1,704) in the Giants’ San Franciscoera history.
“It’s a pretty incredible feat,” Bumgarner said. “This organization has been around a long time and a lot of great players have come through here so to be up on that list is very special.”
Catching Juan Marichal at the top of the list with 2,281 strikeouts would require him to spend a few more seasons in a Giants uniform, but the better Bumgarner pitches, the less likely he’ll remain with the club beyond the July 31 trade deadline.
The staff ace and pending free agent will likely be headed out of town in a July trade, but in what could be his final starts with San Francisco, Bumgarner is reminding fans why his decade-long run with the franchise has been so special.
“You know what he’s accomplished in this game,” center fielder Kevin Pillar said. “He’s one of the guys I was most excited about sharing a clubhouse with.”
Bumgarner was excited to share the spotlight with Pillar on Sunday as the outfielder set a new career high with five RBIs and became the first Giant to record a four-hit game this season.
“If you play this game long enough, you’re going to get some opportunities to do some things in this game that you’ve never done be- fore,” Pillar said. “RBIs, one person gets credited with driving in the runs, but it takes a lot of guys getting on base to drive in the runs.”
Pillar’s afternoon began on an impressive note as he broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second with his team-leading 11th home run of the season. The 106mph, two-run shot off Dia- mondbacks starter Robbie Ray marked Pillar’s eighth homer of the season at Oracle Park, giving him more home runs than any right- handed hitter at the Giants’ home stadium since Buster Posey hit 11 in 2014.
Through the first 83 games of the season, Pillar leads the Giants in home runs (11), RBIs (42) and qualifying starters in batting average (.240). His 17 two-out RBIs are also the most on the club, but the team’s top source of production was not in contention to earn an AllStar nod this year.
That distinction belongs to Smith, who has left quite an impression on his teammates this season.
“He gives us a lot of confidence when he comes in for the ninth,” Pillar said. “He’s been just outstanding.”