The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants entered their three-game series trending in drastically opposite directions. While the dodgers have managed to withstand the loss of Clayton Kershaw, the Giants are in a tailspin since the all-star break.
However, San Francisco’s injury woes aren’t nearly to the same level as the Dodgers. That, plus an off-day, afforded the Giants the luxury of aligning their starting rotation for the key series.
But starting Madison Bumgarner did them little favors. The Dodgers jumped out to a lead in the first inning, and added to it in the second.
San Francisco tied the game in the third, but Los Angeles responded with another run in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead.
Bumgarner finished with seven strikeouts, but allowed five runs on nine hits in just five innings pitched and suffered the loss. “I didn’t feel like I threw terribly bad,” he said.
“But it seemed like every time I did miss, they put the bat on the ball and found a hole.” Bumgarner dropped to 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in three starts against the Dodgers this season.
Though, he did allow just one run at Dodger Stadium over six innings, only to take a tough-luck loss. The 2014 World Series MVP isn’t putting much stock into his troubles against the Dodgers. “I think I would tend to think that’s a random three-game stretch right now,” he said.
“If that continues, maybe there is something. I think it’s just worked out that way for whatever reason.” Including two starts last September, Bumgarner is 0-4 with a 4.71 ERA the past five times he’s faced the Dodgers.
Excluding the current three-game set, there are two regular-season series remaining between the Dodgers and Giants. That presumably will translate to another pair of starts for Bumgarner to attempt extracting revenge on the club that’s been his Achilles’ heel.
