A look ahead to Madison Bumgarner’s next two starts

With the trade deadline looming, Madison Bumgarner’s next two starts will be under a microscope.

The San Francisco Giants begin the second half of their season from Miller Park on Friday as they kick off a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Madison Bumgarner will take the ball on Saturday.

That will not only be his first start coming out of the All-Star break, but also his first appearance since taking a liner off his left elbow and exiting early from his most recent start on July 7.

The X-rays came back negative and he is not expected to have to deal with any lingering effects, but contenders will still be watching closely as they evaluate him as a potential trade target.

The way things currently stand, Bumgarner could make as many as four starts between now and the July 31 trade deadline.

For now, let’s take a closer look at his next two projected opponents and how he’s fared against them of late and over the course of his career.

Saturday, July 13 vs. Milwaukee Brewers (at Miller Park)

Most recent start vs. MIL: June 15, 2019—ND, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 101 pitches
Career at Miller Park: 5 GS, 3-1, 3.31 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 28 K, 32.2 IP

Career vs. MIL hitters

• Ryan Braun: 11-for-37, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 K
• Christian Yelich: 5-for-19, 4 2B, 3 K
• Yasmani Grandal: 2-for-17, 2B, 7 K
• Mike Moustakas: 4-for-12, 2B, K
• Lorenzo Cain: 3-for-12, 2B, 2 K
• Jesus Aguilar: 1-for-7, K
• Orlando Arcia: 1-for-6, K
• Manny Pina: 2-for-4, HR, K
• Tyler Saladino: 0-for-4, K
• Eric Thames: 0-for-1

Catcher Manny Pina did the most damage when Bumgarner faced the Brewers earlier this year, going 2-for-2 with a single, a home run and a walk in three plate appearances against him.

It will be interesting to see if he gets the start on Saturday as a result. He generally serves as the backup to Yasmani Grandal, who has struggled mightily against Bumgarner.

Thursday, July 18 vs. New York Mets (at Oracle Park)

Most recent start vs. NYM: June 4, 2019—ND, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches

• Wilson Ramos: 7-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 K
• Todd Frazier: 7-for-17, 2B, 2 HR, 3 K
• Juan Lagares: 1-for-9, K
• Michael Conforto: 0-for-9, 6 K
• Amed Rosario: 0-for-7, K
• Jeff McNeil: 2-for-6, 2 K
• Adeiny Hechavarria: 2-for-6, 2B, K
• J.D. Davis: 0-for-5
• Robinson Cano: 1-for-3, 2B, K
• Pete Alonso: 2-for-2, HR

When the two teams met at the beginning of June, Bumgarner tossed five shutout frames before allowing home runs to Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos in the sixth.

The long ball has been an issue all season for Bumgarner, so he’ll need to be sure to pitch Alonso carefully above all else.

These two starts will go a long way in determining just how Madison Bumgarner is worth on the trade market, and step one will be proving he has no lingering issues with the elbow that took that line drive last time out.