8/2 Recap: MadBum Solid, Brandon and Brandon Deliver

Madison Bumgarner put together 7 strong innings for the San Francisco Giants Friday night, matching a season high with 11 K’s on the way to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Aug 2, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) hits a RBI triple during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. San Francisco Giants defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Belt returned to the lineup and ended up a double short of the cycle in a 3 for 4 performance that included 2 RBI, 2 runs, and a solo HR. Brandon Crawford also hit a HR for the Giants, a 2 out 2 run blast to right field in the 7th that stretched the lead to 4-1.

Rays pitcher Chris Archer had surrendered just 1 earned run in his last 31 innings, and pitched well all around – save a 2 out rally by the Giants in the 7th that saw 3 runs come across the plate.

Ben Zobrist knocked in the only run for the Rays, a single to right that scored C Jose Lobaton in the 3rd inning.

In what was largely a pitchers duel, Brandon Belt got the scoring started in the 5th for the Giants with a 377ft home run to right.

Hunter Pence reached with 2 outs in the 7th inning on an infield dribbler, followed by Belt knocking a triple off the wall in center that was a few feet from going out. Crawford followed with a 2 run knock to right and the Giants distanced themselves for good.

Santiago Casilla pitched a hitless/scoreless 8th, and Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo closed it out for the Giants 3rd win in a row as Romo got his 26th save.

This is San Francisco’s first 3 game win streak since July 11-13th. Since June 8th, the Giants are 7-3 in games started by Madison Bumgarner. He didn’t have the best command on this night, but his stuff was good enough to get him out of a few jams and help seal the victory.

Post Game Quotes:

Bochy said Belt made a couple of mechanical adjustments during time off. "He was all-in with it ... I like the path of his swing right now."
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 3, 2013

Was Belt thinking about hitting for the cycle? "I didn't NOT think about it."
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 3, 2013

Chris Archer: "Everything I threw, Belt saw. I threw him some good sliders he took. Fastball down, he crushed it. Fastball first pitch ..."
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) August 3, 2013

And continued…

"...he went the other way for a base hit. So I figured I'm going to try a changeup, you know? Mix it up. But he saw that well, too."
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) August 3, 2013

Postgame Notes:

Guillermo Moscoso has been named the official starter for Sunday’s game and Barry Zito has been relegated to bullpen duty for the foreseeable future. You can check out our report on this issue here. From CSN’s Andrew Baggarly: “I’m thinking about today,” said Zito, “Any time we get into the future, it’s all hearsay. It’s about feeling good and going out there and being pitch to pitch.”

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