Bumgarner goes 8 innings for 1st win, Giants beat Padres 3-0
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Madison Bumgarner isn't easily impressed in pregame warmups.
Thursday night was different.
''I don't put a lot of stock into the bullpen before the game, but today I could tell that the stuff was picking up a little,'' the 2014 World Series MVP said.
Bumgarner pitched eight innings of three-hit ball for his first win this season, Mark Melancon earned his first save in a year and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0.
''It was the Madison we know,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
San Francisco won for the fourth time in five games and sent the last-place Padres to their fifth straight loss.
Bumgarner (1-2) struck out eight and walked two in his best start since coming off the disabled list. He also drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.
''It was the type of game we've seen so many times from him,'' Bochy said. ''We needed it because their guy pitched well, too.''
Bumgarner outdueled Tyson Ross (5-5), who gave up one run and four hits in seven innings. Ross struck out three and walked three.
''This is what you want to do as a pitcher, to go toe-to-toe against a guy,'' he said. ''You just have to give your team a chance to win. He was little bit better tonight.''
Bumgarner began the season on the DL with a broken pinkie on his pitching hand sustained in his final spring training start when he was hit by a line drive. The ace left-hander was 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three previous outings since being reinstated.
Bumgarner's sacrifice fly scored Pablo Sandoval in the fifth. Sandoval singled leading off the inning and Joe Panik followed with a double.
It was the fourth time in his career Bumgarner made a scoreless start and had the game-winning RBI, tying Stephen Strasburg and Fernando Valenzuela for the most such games by any pitcher in the last 40 years, according to STATS.
The Padres' best scoring chance came in the fifth, when Jose Pirela was thrown out at home trying to score from second on Manuel Margot's one-out double to deep right field. Giants catcher Buster Posey tagged out Pirela after a perfect relay from Andrew McCutchen and Panik.
''We had one chance offensively and we ran through a stop sign, which took away that one opportunity,'' Padres manager Andy Green said.
Melancon, who started the season on the DL with a right elbow flexor strain, pitched the ninth for his first save since June 20, 2017.
DROUGHT BUSTER
Bumgarner was winless in his six previous starts against the Padres. He was 0-4 with a 4.73 ERA during that stretch.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: OF Wil Myers (left oblique strain) and Maton (right lat strain) were reinstated from the 10-day DL, and RHP Colin Rea (right shoulder strain) was activated from the 60-day DL. ... OF Franchy Cordero (right elbow bone spur) was transferred to the 60-day DL and RHP Phil Hughes (right rhomboid strain) was placed on the 10-day DL. ... OF Franmil Reyes was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. ... RHP Bryan Mitchell (right elbow impingement) had an MRI on Wednesday that showed inflammation in the affected area but no ligament damage, Green said. Mitchell is expected to start throwing in four or five days.
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was reinstated from the paternity list and was in the starting lineup. ... INF Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. ... RHP Hunter Strickland (broken right pinkie) will have more X-rays in two weeks to determine if two pins he had surgically inserted on Wednesday can be removed. The 29-year-old reliever was injured when he punched a door in frustration after a blown save against Miami on Monday. ... RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow inflammation) will throw 40 pitches in a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. ... RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder tightness) threw 73 pitches in his second rehab start with Sacramento.
UP NEXT
LHP Clayton Richard (6-6, 4.31 ERA) will make his team-leading 16th start for the Padres. He's 5-2 with a 3.04 ERA over his last eight. Giants RHP Chris Stratton (8-4, 4.22) hasn't allowed a run over 13 2/3 innings in two career starts against San Diego.
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