Madison Bumgarner homers again, continues one-man show for Giants
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.
Madison Bumgarner’s one-man show is on the road in Pittsburgh.
In a rematch from last year’s NL wild-card game, Bumgarner baffled the Pirates again, tossing 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball to earn his 15th victory. He also provided the difference on the scoreboard, connecting on a two-run home run in the Giants 6-4 win.
With that homer, Bumgarner became the first pitcher to hit five home runs in a single season since Carlos Zambrano hit six for the 2006 Chicago Cubs. That would help explain why manager Bruce Bochy hasn’t been hesitant to use Bumgarner as a pinch-hitter lately. If a pitcher makes a mistake, he’ll crush it. Even if they don’t, he still has a chance to come through. That’s a nice asset to have.
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Speaking of assets, San Francisco added another key piece by trading for Marlon Byrd this week. He made his presence felt immediately, delivering a two-run home run in his first at-bat. That big fly was equally important in the outcome.
The outcome, by the way, moved San Francisco one game closer in the division race. With the Dodgers being no-hit by Mike Fiers in Houston, the G-men are just 1 1/2 out in the NL West.
NATIONALS STUMBLE BACK UNDER .500
Just when it looked like the Washington Nationals were righting the ship in Colorado, they’ve now lost back-to-back games to the last-place Rockies and last-place Brewers.
Friday’s loss was particularly troubling, as the Nationals were run off their own field by Milwaukee 10-3. Starter Gio Gonzalez was knocked around for five runs (four earned) over five innings, and was also smoked on the ankle by a Jonathan Lucroy. Gonzalez finished the inning and seems to be fine, but the damage was already done to Washington.
Domingo Santana, a player Milwaukee received in the trade that sent Mike Fiers to the Astros last month, hit a key two-run homer in his Brewers debut. It wasn’t a historic moment like Fiers’ no-hitter on Friday, but it gives Milwaukee hope for the future.
Lucroy added three hits for the Brew Crew while Adam Lind and Elian Herrera each had two. Jimmy Nelson earned the victory, allowing two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. Bryce Harper took him deep for his 31st home run this season.
The scuffling Nats are now 60-61 with 41 games left to play. They are five games behind the division-leading Mets.
CARRASCO MOWS DOWN YANKEES WITH 11 STRIKEOUTS
The Cleveland Indians are playing the spoiler role well in New York.
With their 7-3 victory on Friday, the Indians have taken the first two games in the four-game weekend series against the first-place Yankees. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco was the driving force behind the win. He struck out 11 batters over his 6 2/3 innings, while holding the Yankees to one run on five hits.
Offensively, the Indians were able to piece together offense against Masahiro Tanaka, scoring a single run in four different frames. Carlos Santana got him for a solo homer in the sixth. After New York got within a run in the eighth, the Indians applied the finishing touches with a three-run ninth.
As a result of the Yankees loss and the Blue Jays win in Anaheim, Toronto is back within striking distance. The gap between teams is one-half game heading into Saturday
SALES OUTDUELS KING FELIX, STRIKES OUT 14
The pitching matchup of the night looked like it was taking place in Seattle, where Chris Sale of the White Sox battled the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez. The final score suggests otherwise, as the White Sox walked away with an 11-4 victory.
In reality, Sale was really good, striking out 14 en route to his 12th victory. Sale pitched seven innings of three-run ball, only running into trouble in the seventh inning. In fact, after allowing a leadoff double to Ketel Marte, Sale retired 18 straight and seemed poised to go the distance.
On the other side, Felix Hernandez was OK, allowing four runs over six innings. That was several big steps up from his 10-run outing last Saturday in Boston, but a far cry from the Felix we know. Hernandez has now allowed 27 earned runs over his last five outings, which amounts to an 8.50 ERA.
On the plus side for Seattle, Nelson Cruz hit his league best 37th homer. But they obviously won’t feel good until Hernandez returns to form.
Want to see more from Friday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
