Bumgarner facing Padres in possible Giants farewell
Sunday afternoon will be Bruce Bochy's last game at Petco Park as the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Will it also be Madison Bumgarner's last start as a Giant?
Despite the Giants' recent surge to climb back into the National League wild-card race, rumors persist that Bumgarner could be moved before Wednesday's trade deadline.
Saturday afternoon, Bochy talked about his last game in San Diego as the Giants manager. After all, he managed the Padres for 12 seasons before he managed the Giants for 13.
"I think the impact will hit me Sunday when I'm driving in from Poway," Bochy said of the trip from his north county home in San Diego.
But Bochy didn't discuss the possibility of Bumgarner leaving the Giants before Bochy does at the end of the season.
Before the Giants went on their 18-5 run to get into the playoff picture, speculation was focused on where Bumgarner would wind up. Now, the matter is whether the Giants will trade Bumgarner at all.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old Bumgarner -- his birthday is Thursday -- will be making the 23rd start of the season for the Giants on Sunday, and it will be the 275th of his career. The 6-foot-4 left-hander is 5-7 this season with a 3.66 ERA. He owns a 115-90 career record with a 3.08 ERA.
The Padres will counter with 20-year-old left-hander Adrian Morejon, who will be making his third major league appearance and his second start as an "opener" since being promoted from Triple-A El Paso on July 21. Morejon has allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
"Morejon looks to be as low a pulse-rate guy as you're ever going to see on the mound," Padres manager Andy Green said recently. "He's confident out there. The inning he threw Thursday (in New York against the Mets) was really crisp and strong."
Morejon will be facing the Giants for the first time.
Bumgarner, meanwhile, will be facing the Padres for the third time this season and for the 35th time (34th start) in his career.
Bumgarner has an 11-10 lifetime record against the Padres with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.040 WHIP and a .216 opponents' batting average. He has worked 216 1/3 innings in his career against the Padres, giving up 85 runs (82 earned) on 174 hits and 51 walks with 216 strikeouts.
He is only 4-7 with a 3.87 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) at Petco Park. One of those losses came on Opening Day this season, as the Padres defeated Bumgarner and the Giants 2-0. Bumgarner gave up both runs on five hits (including a solo homer by Wil Myers) and a walk with nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Although Bochy has been mum on Bumgarner's status, there is no doubt where he stands on the pitcher's status in the game.
"He's an ace in every definition of the word," Bochy said. "He's the best. We could never have achieved what we have accomplished here without Madison Bumgarner. Never."
--Field Level Media
