San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner will try to continue his recent progress when the visiting Giants open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.
In his last start, Bumgarner (1-4, 3.92) gave up one run over six innings in a no-decision last Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Giants won 2-1. He struck out eight and walked two. According to MLB.com, he induced 18 swinging strikes, his most since Sept. 19, 2016, against the Dodgers.
“I thought this was his best stuff that he’s had this year,” catcher Buster Posey told MLB.com. “The fastball had good life. It definitely had better life. You could see the velocity was up. The cutter velocity was up as well. It was good to see.”
Bumgarner bounced back from his worst outing of the season, when he surrendered a career-high-matching 11 hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Yankees.
“I’ve been studying stuff and trying different things to try to get to where I want to be, which in my mind, is a perfect delivery,” Bumgarner told MLB.com. “I don’t think it’s there, but it’s definitely better than it has been.”
Bumgarner is no stranger to the Rockies. The left-hander is 14-8 with a 3.03 ERA in 31 starts versus Colorado, picking up his only win of the season against them on April 13 in San Francisco when he held them to two runs over seven innings and struck out seven without a walk.
Colorado Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela will try to stay unbeaten by the Giants. The 24-year-old Senzatela (2-1, 4.03) is 5-0 with a 3.35 ERA in eight career games — six starts — against San Francisco, meaning nearly one-third of his 18 career wins have been at the Giants’ expense.
The last time he faced them, Sept. 16, he picked up the win after giving up a run on five hits while striking out five.
Senzatela is coming off his shortest start of this season, a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers in which he allowed two runs on four hits and needed 86 pitches to get through four innings of an 11-4 Rockies win.
He finished on a high note, striking out Ryan Braun and retiring Lorenzo Cain with the bases loaded.
“Senza has a knack of turning it up a notch,” manager Bud Black told the Denver Post. “He has the ability to elevate his game, which we’ve all seen.”
The Giants traveled to Coors Field after completing a four-game split in Cincinnati with a 12-4 loss to the Reds on Monday.
The lowlights included a record-tying four Reds getting hit by pitches in one inning and Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval making his second career pitching appearance. He also hit a batter.
Giants starters gave up 37 runs in the series and manager Bruce Bochy will be looking for Bumgarner provide some rest for his bullpen.
The Rockies salvaged the finale of a three-game series against Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday when Raimel Tapia hit a tying, bases-loaded triple and scored the go-ahead run during a five-run eighth inning.
“This was a big win for us, and hats off to Tapia, he pulled us through,” Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado told the Denver Post. “Getting swept here at home would have been really bad. But we need to start winning some series. We need to come out Tuesday ready to go.”
Arenado is streaking himself, going 12-for-26 over his past six games.