Bumgarner injury painful for Giants
Call it a SAN FRANCIS CO dirt-bike fall, a fall from grace, a downfall, whatever the term, there will be lingering fallout for the San Francisco Giants from Madison Bumgarner’s illfated off-day adventure last week in Colorado.
Entering Monday with a National League-worst 6-13 record, the Giants were off to their lousiest 19-game start in more than a century, matched only by the 1983 team, which finished fifth in the NL West.
Even when he wasn’t scheduled to pitch last weekend against the Colorado Rockies, it would be naïve to suggest the demoralizing loss of Bumgarner to a left shoulder injury had nothing to do with the Giants getting swept at Coors Field while being outscored 26-8.
Now the impact of his absence will be felt more directly beginning Tuesday, when he was supposed to oppose Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in one of those fascinating duels that can help define a season.
Instead it will be rookie left-hander Ty Blach taking the mound for the Giants as they try to keep their spiral from accelerating to the point they can’t reverse course. As they say, you can’t win a championship in April, but you can lose it.
A contrite Bumgarner — scheduled for another MRI later Monday — seemed to grasp that all too well. “I realize that was definitely not the most responsible decision I’ve made,” he said to a large gaggle of media members in the Giants dugout. “It sucks not being able to be out here with my guys trying to help us win games. It’s very unfortunate. I’ve talked to a lot of them, and they know where I’m at. Everybody’s been supportive.”
Mindful of their shaky status even this early in the season, the Giants made some drastic moves Monday, promoting top prospect Christian Arroyo and veteran outfielder Drew Stubbs and inserting them into a reshaped lineup that surprisingly had Hunter Pence in the leadoff spot.
Arroyo, 21, was leading the Class AAA Pacific Coast League with a .446 batting average while sporting a robust 1.171 on-base plus slugging percentage in 16 games. He was to make his major league debut Monday, hitting sixth and playing third base.
Only weeks ago, such desperate measures would have seemed inconceivable for one of the game’s elite franchises, an organization that has won three World Series titles in this decade and addressed its biggest weakness by signing closer Mark Melancon in the offseason.
Indeed, a combination of poor performances — the starters have the majors’ worst ERA at 5.02, and the offense is averaging less than 3.7 runs per game — and unforeseen events has led to the dreadful early spell.
All- Star catcher Buster Posey was beaned in the home opener and missed a week. Left fielder Jarrett Parker broke a collarbone making a catch. Shortstop Brandon Crawford has been dealing with a death in the family.
The void caused by Bumgarner’s injury — initially deemed a Grade 1 or 2 sprain of the AC joint — has raised concerns about longterm impact. The team expected to have a better sense of how long Bumgarner would miss after the examinations Monday, but two months seems like a conservative estimate.
Still, the Giants say this is no time to panic.
“The first 19 games are not going to define how our season goes,” said second baseman Joe Panik, part of a core of homegrown players they’re built around. “We were a playoff team last year. I don’t see our No. 1 pitcher going down for six to eight weeks, whatever they said it’s going to be, changing that. We still have talent on this roster. We just haven’t been playing well lately. It’s just a matter of turning the tide and getting momentum going again.”