Madison Bumgarner tries to continue his strong start to the season on Tuesday when the San Francisco Giants continue a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Bumgarner has been terrific in all five starts this season and enters the contest 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He hasn't received a decision in either of his last two outings, but has yet to allow more than two runs in a start this year.
Of course, this is nothing new. Last year he was 4-1 in his five April starts with a 2.53 ERA.
Bumgarner was again brilliant on Wednesday against Arizona, yielding just a run and five hits in 7 1/3 frames. He also struck out seven, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 3-2 loss.
"I felt good," Bumgarner said. "Command felt good and arm felt good. Body felt pretty good today. Everything was there."
Bumgarner is 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 10 games (9 starts) against the D'Backs.
Arizona, meanwhile, will counter with righty Trevor Cahill, who is coming off his first win of the season. Cahill beat the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, surrendering just an unearned run and four hits in five innings. He did walk four batters, but still improved to 1-3, while lowering his ERA to 3.00.
"It was a little bit all over the place but I was able to get through five and (Josh) Collmenter was able to pick me up," Cahill said. "I was just falling behind, couldn't put guys away and wasn't getting early contact."
Cahill has faced the Giants seven times and is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA.
San Francisco drew first blood in this series on Monday, as Brandon Belt ripped a tie-breaking, two-run single in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Giants to a 6-4 victory.
Belt also smacked a solo shot in the second, while Pablo Sandoval and Gregor Blanco added an RBI and a run scored apiece to help the Giants snap a five- game slide that started with back-to-back, extra-inning losses against Arizona.
Jean Machi (1-0) earned his first major league victory after pitching a perfect seventh in relief of starter Matt Cain, who remains in search of his first victory of the season after giving up four runs on five hits and four walks over six frames.
Sergio Romo worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to nail down his ninth save of the season.
Brad Ziegler (0-1) entered for Arizona starter Ian Kennedy to start the eighth and served up Belt's go-ahead single to absorb the loss. Kennedy allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks over seven innings.
"It's just one of those days," Kennedy said. "You give your team a chance to win and we just didn't."
All four of Arizona's runs came in the fourth, as Jason Kubel, Eric Chavez and Martin Prado each homered in the frame, but it wasn't enough for the Diamondbacks, who lost for only the second time in seven tries.
Arizona took two of three from the Giants earlier in the season.
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