9 hits before recording his second out and leaving after only a third of an inning.
That was Madison Bumgarner's last start. If he was thinking about it in the back of his mind yesterday, he certainly didn't show it.
7 innings pitched, a career high 11 strikeouts and one earned run.
And if that weren't dazzling enough, Jeremy Affeldt pitched in with 2 perfect innings and 5 strikeouts to close out the win and get his second save of the year.
All in all the Indians were sent packing after enduring a sweep after only giving up 8 runs in three games, but only producing 4 runs total over that span and getting shut out on Saturday. That was San Francisco Giants baseball.
Did the Giants win a game due to a balk on Saturday? Yes they did, but pitching mastery continued with Cain and Bumgarner giving up only 1 run total and giving the Giants 14 innings to help give the bullpen a slight breather after providing 4 and a third shutout innings on Friday after a less than solid start from Jonathan Sanchez.
As much as this Giants offense causes me to go from sorrow and misery to delirious laughter in 3.5 seconds, the ever consistent and excellent pitching allows me to calm down and marvel at the sheer dominance that is displayed on a daily basis.
Giants pitching staff... I salute you.
Speaking of the staff however, Jonathan Sanchez was placed on the 15 day DL for control problem-itis. Its a condition that Sanchez has dealt with for much of his career and yet the Giants have finally found an excuse to put him on the DL for it. This problem really couldn't come at a better time, since Barry Zito needed a space to fill and Vogelsong wouldn't be going anywhere.
In case you don't remember Zito is coming off of a complete game shutout in Fresno in his last rehab assignment and as much disappointment as he's garnered over the years, I really just want to see what he can do on the mound in his next start. Its amazing that a guy who has disappointed us time and time again, can still give us cause for hope by pitching a gem in triple A ball.
We may not have to wait long as Zito might get the call for one of the doubleheader games on Tuesday, but also may get pushed back to take over Jonathan Sanchez's spot in the rotation and the Giants may need someone in the bullpen to start the second game of the double header like Mota.
Please let Mota throw 7+ innings of shutout ball and turn this into a 7 man starting rotation monster...
Laws of the Day
Brian Wilson is tied for NL Lead with 23 saves
Wilson leads the league in heart-attack saves with 21
No comments:
Post a Comment