Bumgarner focuses on positives in loss to Rockies
DENVER — The pitching line was nothing special for left-hander Madison Bumgarner on Saturday night. He knows that. He made a costly mistake, a pitch he wishes he could have back, and it spoiled an otherwise good outing.
But as far as he was concerned, his performance in the Diamondbacks’ 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies was another step forward, a small sign of progress.
“I’m not going to read the box score and check the line; I know what happened,” Bumgarner said. “I’m just going to keep plugging along. I’m just trying to have a short memory and make pitches.”
With two on in the sixth inning, Bumgarner threw a 2-2 fastball to the Rockies’ C.J. Cron. Cron launched it out toward left-center field. Bumgarner did not turn to watch it go. It was obvious it was not coming back.
But Bumgarner instead was trying to focus on what came before it: For five innings, he held the Rockies in check. He put up zeros, mixed pitches effectively and limited hard contact. He felt good about the way things were going, particularly considering the way he felt in the bullpen warming up before the game.
“It was just one of those handful of starts in the year where you don’t feel like the ball is jumping out of your hand,” Bumgarner said. “It don’t have the same bite. A lot of that is due to being here. But I know what to expect here and it was just also one of those where you don’t feel that good and you know it right from the get go.”
Bumgarner said that for the second start in a row he focused on avoiding the middle of the plate. In better times, Bumgarner might challenge hitters after falling behind in the count. Lately, he said, he has continued to focus on pitch execution, even if it might lead to a walk.
The sixth inning unraveled on him quickly. He was ahead of Randal Grichuk when he went upstairs with an 0-2 fastball. The pitch above the zone, but Grichuk still smoked it for a double. Bumgarner then walked Yonathan Daza, bringing Cron to the plate.
The count was 2-2 on Cron when Bumgarner got the sign from his catcher, Cooper Hummel. Cameras showed a conflicted Bumgarner on the mound: He appeared to shake his head briefly, then agree to the pitch, then step off the mound and shake his head. He wanted another pitch.
“I felt like the risk reward for that one, I just didn’t feel good about it,” Bumgarner said.
This time, Hummel called for a fastball up and in. Bumgarner was on board, but his heater stayed over the plate. Cron did not miss it.
“If I make the pitch, it’s probably a different result,” Bumgarner said. “But I just didn’t.”
Bumgarner finished with four runs allowed in six innings. Like his previous start — three runs (two earned) in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers — it wasn’t an especially good outing, but it was enough to keep his team in the game. And considering how badly Bumgarner had been struggling for the previous month, the Diamondbacks seem encouraged by the progress.
“Those line scores are going to start going the right way for him eventually,” Hummel said. “He was one inning away from a really good one today.”