Madison Bumgarner Still Trying to Find that Rhythm

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 11: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants takes the baseball from Madison Bumgarner #40 during a pitching change in the sixth inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on June 11, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JUNE 11: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants takes the baseball from Madison Bumgarner #40 during a pitching change in the sixth inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on June 11, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

A rough night with the strike zone, and mistakes in location, allowed the fishies to score four off Madison Bumgarner in his second start of the year.

Luckily for Madison Bumgarner, this was not a start where the Giants bats left him out to dry. The Giants scored early and often enough to allow Bumgarner to make some mistakes throughout the game.

Knocking out Chen in the fifth and scoring some runs off the Marlins bullpen kept the Giants in it and allowed them to grab the lead, but they eventually give it up in the late innings.

Batters other than Brandon Crawford got the job done for the Giants. Andrew McCutchen, Evan Longoria, and Buster Posey all put together multi-hit games, a middle of the order we haven’t seen all succeed at once much this year.

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Since activated almost a week ago, Bumgarner has not shown the same dominance as he did against minor league pitchers. Shocker, right?

These couple starts can be looked at as Bumgarner’s real rehab starts. His first outing he went six innings only surrendering two, but giving up eight hits.

Monday’s start he could not finish six and gave up four runs on six hits.

Major league hitters (surprise, surprise) aren’t as hilariously fooled as minor leaguers.

No need to be concerned, Bumgarner is still getting into a rhythm and is not quite 100 percent locked in, but should be there shortly.

The Giants are in desperate need of some quality, lengthy starting pitching, and Monday’s start by Bumgarner was eye-opening because that’s not what we’re used to seeing from the lefty, ace.

Next: Brandon Crawford should be in MVP discussion

Bumgarner’s next start will come in Los Angeles as he makes his first start against the Dodgers this season. Who he goes up against is undecided at the moment because the Dodgers rotation is far from healthy as well.

What we do know is that it’ll be far from boring as both teams are finally starting to get healthy enough to re-new the true Giants-Dodger rivalry.

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