Madison Bumgarner Looks Sharp and Ready to Go

The return of ace Madison Bumgarner was spoiled by the Diamondbacks. But the San Francisco Giants are able to look forward with hopes of righting the ship for the rest of the season.

Everything has been leading to this moment. The San Francisco Giants were able to maintain a .500 record and be within striking distance of the division lead, just in time for the arrival of Madison Bumgarner.

The buildup behind his comeback had fans and analysts alike excited for his season debut. And although the Giants were unable to come away with a win, Bumgarner’s presence made a difference.

The most noticeable part of Bumgarner’s outing was his great command of his off-speed pitches. He mixed up his slider, curveball, and chang-up well, consistently keeping hitters off-balance.

Throughout the game he was able to drop curveballs on the outside corner allowing hitters to do nothing more than tip their cap.

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MadBum also worked fairly deep in the game, while keeping his pitch count down. Six innings of two-run baseball was enough to keep the Giants in the game.

Getting through those six innings on 82 pitches was even more impressive. With Giants starting pitchers struggling to work late into ballgames, Bumgarner’s return comes as a shot in the arm.

Though Bumgarner was strong, he was not perfect. His fastball velocity and command seemed slightly off. Normally, Bum uses his ability to locate his fastball in order to setup his off-speed. But the Diamondbacks were able to take advantage of a couple hittable fastballs and made the big lefty pay.

Even with a quality start from Bum, the Giants were unable to muster enough offense against the Diamondbacks.

Untimely, strikeouts continue to cost the Giants and will be a narrative to watch as the season grinds on.

For now though, the ace is back in town and the San Francisco Giants are primed to make a run at the NL West division lead.

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