Madison Bumgarner notches 1,000th career strikeout, homers in win
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Is there anything San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner can’t do? After Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, we’re not sure anymore.
In the second inning, Bumgarner achieved yet another career milestone. With Brandon Barnes at the plate, Bumgarner recorded his 1,000th career strikeout.
With the whiff, Bumgarner became the youngest player in Giants history to reach the milestone. The 25-year-old already has three World Series rings, and is a World Series MVP, so this pales in comparison to some of his other accomplishments. Still, it goes to show how great, and consistent, Bumgarner has been early in his career.
Picking up his 1,000th career strikeout wasn’t enough for Bumgarner. In the seventh inning, Bumgarner helped his own cause with a solo home run. It was Bumgarner’s second dinger of the season. He’s hit eight home runs over his career.
He also picked up the win during the contest, improving to 8-4 on the year. Bumgarner lowered his ERA to 2.99 with the performance.
DOES ANYONE WANT TO STOP CARLOS MARTINEZ?
The St. Louis Cardinals may have lost Adam Wainwright weeks ago, but they seem to found a new ace. Carlos Martinez was masterful again Sunday in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Martinez allowed one run on just two hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked three during the contest.
It was Martinez’s eighth straight quality start.
Martinez managed all of that despite a two hour rain delay following the second inning.
Following the performance, the 23-year-old Martinez now has a 2.80 ERA, and 3.53 FIP, on the season. His emergence is a big reason the Cardinals have the best record in baseball.
STRASBURG IS BACK
The Washington Nationals can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, it appears ace Stephen Strasburg is finally back to form.
Strasburg allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings during the win. He struck out nine and walked just one.
Since returning from the disabled list, Strasburg has looked like his old self.
Following those two starts, Strasburg has been able to lower his ERA to 5.49. That’s a far cry from fans are used to seeing from him, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.
If that’s the case, the Nationals, as expected, are going to have one of the most feared pitching staffs in the game. At 42-33, the team currently leads the National League East by 2.5 games.
SAMARDZIJA GETS HUNG OUT TO DRY
Chicago White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija can’t be happy after Sunday’s 5-4 loss against the Detroit Tigers. Samardzija cruised through the first seven innings before running into major issues in the eighth.
When the inning started, Samardzija held a four-run lead. By the time it was over, the game had been tied. All four runs were charged to Samardzija.
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Samardzija had only thrown 85 pitches entering the inning, so having his come out to start the eighth wasn’t egregious. Keeping him in the game, however, became a point of contention among those watching.
Samardzija loaded the bases against the first three hitters he faced to start the inning. After a mound visit, Samardzija hit a batter, bringing in the first run. He remained in the game to face Miguel Cabrera with the bases loaded, and managed a strikeout.
He was kept in the game to face Victor Martinez, and that wound up being an awful decision. Martinez hit a bases-clearing double on the first pitch he saw, tying the game.
Many put the blame on manager Robin Ventura.
The White Sox would go on to lose in extras, magnifying the decision. With the loss, Chicago dropped to 32-42 on the season.
Want to see more from Sunday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
