SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, September 13, 2015mlb.mlb.com/documents/6/2/8/149084628/9.13.15_clips_j96o0hhk.pdf · 9/13/2015  · SF Giants Press Clips Sunday, September 13, 2015

1

SF Giants Press Clips

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Article Source Author Page Madison Bumgarner near perfect in Giants’ win SF Chronicle Shea 2

Shea: Posey, Gray could finish as league leaders SF Chronicle Shea 4

Pregame numbers on Giants’ Madison Bumgarner SF Chronicle Shea 5

KNBR conversation: Sergio Romo SF Chronicle KNBR 7

Bumgarner nearly perfect in Giants' win over Padres SJ Mercury Hickey 8

MadBum nearly perfect in shutting out Padres MLB.com Brock/Macklin 10

Bumgarner dazzles with near-perfect game MLB.com Macklin 12

Durable Duffy making Rookie of the Year case MLB.com Macklin 13

Leake seeks first Giants win in clash with Padres MLB.com Macklin 14

Giants notes: Duffy gives Giants another iron man CSN Bay Area Pavlovic 15

Instant Replay: Bumgarner nearly perfect in Giants' win CSN Bay Area Pavlovic 16

Rewind: Giants feel Bumgarner's no-hitter is 'matter of time' CSN Bay Area Pavlovic 17

NL West Watch: Seager, Dodgers power past D'Backs CSN Bay Area AP 20

Giants' Madison Bumgarner flirts with perfect game in 8-0 win SR Press Dem Eymer 22

Giants’ Madison Bumgarner flirts with perfection Sac Bee Kawahara 24

In season of absences, Matt Duffy has been a constant for Giants Sac Bee Kawahara 25

Madison Bumgarner shrugs at talk of perfection… Sac Bee Kawahara 27

2

The San Francisco Chronicle Madison Bumgarner near perfect in Giants’ win John Shea

It was Madison Bumgarner’s turn. He was due, wasn’t he? His time had come to participate in a

celebrated Giants tradition.

An organization with five no-hitters since 2009 just had to include Bumgarner, the postseason legend,

the man who once fixed the team bus on the side of the road, the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder who strikes

fear into hitters and sometimes his own manager, who jokes about being afraid to remove him from

games.

Well, Bumgarner must wait a while longer. His bid for a perfect game and no-hitter was dashed Saturday

night when Melvin Upton Jr. hit a sharp single to center with two outs in the eighth inning. Bumgarner

settled for just another win, his 18th.

The Giants beat the Padres 8-0, and Bumgarner received several standing ovations, the most

heartwarming coming immediately after he surrendered Upton’s hit, a sign of respect and affection

from 41,564 fans who dig Bumgarner and his value during the three championship runs.

“You just feel like it’s a matter of time with him,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Bumgarner, who has

three one-hitters. “He’s been so close.”

First baseman Brandon Belt said, “You just know it’ll happen in the future sometime. You’re just waiting

on it.”

Bumgarner laughed when he heard that.

“I don’t mean to come off like I don’t care, but I’m not here to throw perfect games or no-hitters or any

of that,” he said. “It would definitely be special, no doubt about it. But my main concern is winning

games, and that’s it. Nothing’s going to get in the way of that, definitely not a personal accomplishment.

“I’m just as happy with what we got.”

3

Bumgarner has four more starts to become the Giants’ first 20-game winner since Bill Swift and John

Burkett in 1993. He’s showing no signs of fatigue based on his latest 111-pitch, nine-strikeout effort in

which his fastball, touching 93 mph, remained intact all night.

In the later innings, the huge deficit between the first-place Dodgers and Giants wasn’t a consideration.

It was all about Bumgarner working his magic with catcher Buster Posey. “It was the ol’ Bum, just

awesome,” Belt said.

Bumgarner struck out Wil Myers to open the seventh, and Derek Norris hit a sizzling liner to second

baseman Kelby Tomlinson, who was positioned perfectly, not far from the bag. Matt Kemp grounded to

shortstop Ehire Adrianza, subbing for injured Brandon Crawford.

Adrianza threw out Justin Upton from the hole for the first out in the eighth, and Jedd Gyorko popped to

right fielder Marlon Byrd, who seemed a bit fooled before making a two-handed catch. The other Upton

then crashed the party.

“I wanted to throw a strike there. I just missed two in a row,” Bumgarner said of his fateful 2-1 fastball.

“I don’t want the first baserunner to walk, so I’m going to come right at you.’

The Giants scored seven runs across the fourth and fifth innings, beginning with Marlon Byrd’s two-out

fly ball that was misplayed by Justin Upton in left. Tomlinson legged out a triple on a liner to left-center.

Angel Pagan opened the fifth with a homer down the line in right, his second of the season and first at

home. Alejandro De Aza followed with a triple that might've been a homer if third-base coach took a

chance. Byrd capped the rally with a run-scoring single, his third hit and third RBI.

In the seventh, Belt popped one into the arcade, his career-high 18th homer of the season.

4

The San Francisco Chronicle Shea: Posey, Gray could finish as league leaders John Shea With the Giants seemingly joining the A’s in a season unfulfilled, let’s look at what’s left, the story lines

worth watching a year after both teams won 88 games and earned playoff berths.

Posey’s push: Bryce Harper is on an MVP mission, and Dee Gordon legs out infield hits whenever he

pleases. As left-handed hitters, they would seem to have an advantage in the National League batting

race over Buster Posey, who plays a more grueling position. But Posey is the only candidate among the

top three hitters who has shown he has what it takes to win a batting title, having done so in 2012 at

.336 amid the fall of Melky Cabrera. Plus, Posey is hot — .467 in his past 13 games after hitting .159 in

his previous 12. He could become the second player in the history of the franchise to win multiple titles,

joining Barry Bonds.

Duffy’s drive: Matt Duffy could be the only NL rookie with a .300 average and 70 RBIs, but the Cubs’Kris

Bryant is favored to win the rookie award (.271, 24 homers, 91 RBIs) even though he has twice as many

strikeouts as Duffy in fewer at-bats. What a deep rookie class: the Giants’ Chris Heston, Pittsburgh’s Jung

Ho Kang, Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco, St. Louis’ Randal Grichuk, New York’s Noah

Syndergaard, Milwaukee’s Taylor Jungmann and Bryant’s teammatesAddison Russell and Kyle

Schwarber. The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson, an early favorite, has shown tremendous flashes of power and

defense, but he strikes out more than Bryant and has a batting average near Mario Mendoza’s career

mark.

Gray’s grind: Sonny Gray, second in American League ERA at 2.28, has as many as four starts remaining

to challenge Houston’s Dallas Keuchel and Toronto’s David Price and become the A’s first Cy Young

Award winner since Barry Zito in 2002. Unlike Gray, his competitors are key factors on first-place teams.

The Astros are 11 games above .500 when Keuchel pitches but one game under .500 when he doesn’t,

and Price is 6-1 since his trade from Detroit. Gray trails both in strikeouts per nine innings and strikeout-

to-walk ratio.

Burns’ bid: Houston shortstop Carlos Correa is the trendy choice for AL Rookie of the Year, but just being

in the conversation is a tremendous accomplishment for Billy Burns, who took full advantage of Coco

Crisp’s absence to give the A’s a valuable presence in center field and atop the order. He has far more

at-bats than any other AL rookie, 158 more than Correa, who was called up in June. Burns tops all AL

rookies in steals and is among the leaders in batting average. Correa has 18 homers and plays shortstop

as if he were Derek Jeter. Others in the conversation: Minnesota’s Miguel Sano, Cleveland’s Francisco

Lindor, Toronto’s Roberto Osuna and Texas’ Delino DeShields.

Donaldson’s destiny: Josh Donaldson has a better WAR than the man o’ WAR himself, Mike Trout. And a

better batting average and slugging percentage. And more homers, doubles, RBIs and runs. And fewer

strikeouts. Until further notice, case closed. That Donaldson had three years of team control remaining

in Oakland is what continues to bite A’s fans. From the Blue Jays, the A’s received Brett Lawrie, Kendall

Graveman, Sean Nolin and Franklin Barreto. But Donaldson is a superstar and MVP in waiting.

5

Céspedes’ ceiling: In Oakland, he played like Superman. In Metropolis, he just might be Superman.Yoenis

Céspedes, a Met for a month and a half following his trade from Detroit, has played so well that he

made himself an NL MVP candidate. No one ever won an MVP in a year he was traded or, among

position players, with fewer than 100 games played in a league. Céspedes won’t reach 60 as a Met. Just

as MVP talk gained momentum, the sinking Nationals sent national baseball writers a reminder of all the

categories Harper dominates. Let it be told, Céspedes is most responsible for burying Harper’s Nationals.

Rotation’s restoration: At this time last year, Giants scouts monitored possible playoff foes. Now they

can monitor free-agent pitchers to beef up next season’s rotation. It’s an ample list of candidates. But if

we are to learn from last winter’s pursuit of Jon Lester, they’d like a left-hander to accompany Madison

Bumgarner and, if re-signed, Mike Leake. Hello, Mr. Price. If the Giants balk at investing $200 million for

someone used every fifth day, the consolation prize could be Scott Kazmir, who has a 2.63 ERA and

would be an upgrade though he isn’t considered in elite company with Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan

Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija and, if he opts out of his contract, Zack Greinke. A Bumgarner-Leake-

Kazmir threesome would be better than sticking with the status quo, which was iffy this year.

Streak’s susceptibility: The Giants have announced 395 consecutive sellouts, baseball’s longest active

streak. Might it end during the final 14 home games? The Giants say they expect sellouts the rest of the

way, meaning the streak would carry into next season. Even if we see more empty seats, especially in

the upper corners. Virtual sellouts count and satisfy the sellout criteria. It’s about tickets distributed

(including complimentary seats), not tickets sold or actual attendance. Regardless, the Giants hold the

league record and are a long way from Boston’s big-league record of 820, which ended in 2013.

Milestone’s march: For the Giants, Bumgarner is two wins from 20, Brandon Crawford one homer from

20 (he wouldn’t mind hitting .250 or higher for the first time) and Duffy three percentage points from

.300. For the A’s, Gray is 61/3 innings from 200, Burns three percentage points from .300 and Crisp one

career steal from 300.

The San Francisco Chronicle Pregame numbers on Giants’ Madison Bumgarner John Shea

It’s always worth going over the numbers before a Madison Bumgarner start, so here goes:

He’s 17-3 and three wins from becoming the Giants’ first 20-game winner since Bill Swift and John

Burkett in 1993.

He ranks fourth in the league in strikeouts (203), strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and fewest walks per

nine innings (1.5) and sixth in innings (188 2/3).

6

He’s 11 1/3 innings from reaching 200 for the fifth time, and only one lefty in franchise history reached

200 more. Carl Hubbell threw 200-plus innings 10 times.

Last time he faced the Padres, he collected 14 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out 10 or more

batters 25 times, and he’s 21-1 in those games.

He’s hitting .258 with five homers and nine RBIs, leading all pitchers in the Triple Crown categories. One

more homer, and he’ll tie Hal Schumacher for most in a season by a Giants pitcher.

*****

Bruce Bochy spoke glowingly about third baseman Matt Duffy before the game, calling him a “savior.”

Duffy is starting his 59th straight game and playing his 98th in a row, second longest streak in the league

behind Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon, who’s not in the Rockies’ lineup Saturday night.

“This kid hasn’t had a break. What’s amazing is the way he’s playing, the energy, and he hasn’t slowed

down a bit, either. It’s incredible,” Bochy said. “It shows you how critical it is to have those kinds of guys

who are durable.”

*****

Brett Bochy heard his dad get booed Friday night, and he was OK with it. He knew Giants fans didn’t

want Bochy the elder to remove his son with two outs in the ninth inning of a 9-1 rout. After a brief

conversation, the manager returned to the dugout amid cheers.

“They were pretty loud,” Brett said of the boos. “They were definitely booing for a good reason. That’s

why it’s so fun to play at a place like this in front of all these fans.”

*****

Bochy said Hunter Pence turned up his rehab a bit, which is a start. But the right fielder still isn’t hitting.

. . . Brandon Crawford had made progress, especially with his oblique. His calf still is sore but not nearly

as discoloared as it was. He remains day to day.

7

*****

The lineup: CF Pagan, LF De Aza, 3B Duffy, C Posey, 1B Belt, RF Byrd, 2B Tomlinson, SS Adrianza, LH

Bumgarner.

The San Francisco Chronicle KNBR conversation: Sergio Romo KNBR An edited transcript of a KNBR interview with Sergio Romo.

Q: We talked after you lost the series to the Dodgers and you said, “We’re good. We’ll be fine.” Well,

you guys have continued to struggle since that series and I’d like to know what the feeling is inside the

clubhouse; you guys still optimistic?

A: To be realistic, you know, you just kind of sit there and say, “It’s tough.” We’ve put ourselves in a

really tough spot, and those guys that we were chasing have just kept going. We’ve been really

competitive and we’ve been in every ballgame, but we’re just that one hit away or that one pitch away

and it’s kept happening. It’s been up and down for us; one day the ball bounces for us and the next it

doesn’t and this just keeps repeating itself. It’s really tough right now, I have to admit.

Q: Is there a sense in the clubhouse when you see the injuries that, “Man, we’re not going out there

with a full squad”?

A: Well, we’re in September now and there’s really no team out there that’s 100 percent or fully

healthy; that just doesn’t really happen. But for us, for me personally, yeah, I notice that. I remember

when (Matt) Duffy rolled his ankle a little while ago and we were worrying about that. We were worried

about (Hunter) Pence. (Nori) Aoki. You know everybody — (Andrew) Susac. Everybody just kind of

seemed to be getting nicked at one point or another. ... It’s hard not to notice that your key guys, your

guys that have proven to be contributing factors — it’s not that I think we’re lacking confidence; it’s just

that it’s hard to go out there every day not 100 percent.

Q: What are your thoughts on Tim — just had his surgery — what do you think of a future with Tim

Lincecum?

A: Timmy’s been around since I’ve been around. Tim’s got a few more years in the league than I do, so

Tim was one of those guys that would show me around and congratulate me on making the big leagues.

He’s just one of those guys who’s like, “This is how it goes.” He’s been a real solid friend to me, one of

my best friends on the team since the day I got called up. Yeah, I definitely texted him and seeing how

he was, how’s he feeling. He’s been really optimistic himself. He feels the procedure went well; it’s going

to help him out. Do I see a future with him playing baseball? Yes. Do I see a future with him playing

8

baseball in San Francisco? Yes. It’d be really weird not to see that 55 in orange and black going out there

and suiting up.

Q: Could you speak to Tim’s toughness?

A: He’s very tough, very well prepared. Physically he’s in a great shape. You’d be surprised just how

strong he is. It’s amazing what he’s been able to withstand given what he puts his body through. He’s

someone who doesn’t complain; he’s just mentally and physically tough. To have that drive to come out

there every day just proves he’s one of the toughest dudes out there.

San Jose Mercury News Bumgarner nearly perfect in Giants' win over Padres John Hickey SAN FRANCISCO -- The almost-perfect left-hander threw the almost-perfect game Saturday.

For the second time in 13 months, San Francisco lefty Madison Bumgarner carried a perfect game into

the eighth inning. For the second time, he came up short, although he said an 8-0 win over the Padres

was plenty satisfying from where he stood.

Pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr.'s single skittered by Bumgarner with one out in the eighth. He was the only

man to have a chance at the ball, and it wasn't much of a chance. The ball didn't stop rolling until it was

picked up in center by Angel Pagan.

At first the 41,000 booed the reality of it, then the booing turned to cheers and a short standing ovation,

celebrating just how stellar a performance Bumgarner had turned in. The lefty set down the final four

batters in order and finished with his third career one-hitter on 111 pitches. He walked no one and

struck out eight.

It was the Giants' 18th win in their last 23 home games and kept San Francisco's flickering hopes for a

postseason run going. The Giants are 7½ games behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

The win was Bumgarner's 18th of the season, second in the N.L. only to the Cubs' Jake Arrieta, who has

19. And Bumgarner tried to keep the postgame focus on the importance of winning.

"I don't mean to say I don't care, but I'm not here for perfect games or no-hitters, or any of that,'' said

Bumgarner. "It definitely would be special, no doubt about that. I'm just as happy with getting the win.''

San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt, who set a new personal single-season high with his 18th

homer, seemed to take the Upton single up the middle harder than the man who gave it up. He

admitted that "a lot of bad words" came out of his mouth when Upton delivered.

"Just the way he was getting guys out, just his presence on the mound, it seemed tonight was the

night,'' said Belt, who said the 25-year-old Bumgarner will get a perfect game one of these days. "I think

9

the best way to describe it is 'inevitable.' It didn't work out tonight, but it's one of those things you know

is going to happen.

"Everybody on the field wanted it for him so bad. Just because he's been so good, this would be fitting

for him to throw a perfect game. You hate to see that ball get through, but you don't want it to take

away from how good he was."

Bumgarner's command was such that he didn't need much help. A leaping seventh-inning catch at

second base by Kelby Tomlinson took a possible hit away from Derek Norris, and an inning later,

shortstop Ehire Adrianza went deep in the hole and made a high-velocity throw to first for the out.

"The ball to Tomlinson was a little bit more up the middle than (the one to Adrianza) was," Bumgarner

said. "I thought it was going to get through. We all know what kind of player Adrianza is and what kind

of range he has. I felt he was going to pick it, and he did."

In the end, was there even a little trace of regret or disappointment that this one got away in the eighth

inning?

"No. If there was, I wouldn't tell you, but there's really not," Bumgarner said. "Like I said, I'm here to win

games, and that's it."

And that he did. Again.

Belt's previous career homer best was 17 in 2013.

Marlon Byrd, whose two-run double got the Giants going in the fourth inning, also added a run-

scoring single in the fifth. He had three hits and a walk in four plate trips and has eight hits in his last 11

at-bats. In his last six games he's 14 for 24, .583.

The Padres said after the game they would scratch Sunday starter Colin Rea with arm soreness. He

will be replaced by Odrisamer Despaigne, who pitched in relief Friday.

Friday night was the 100th start of the season for Giants third baseman Matt Duffy. Since he took over

at third May 16, he has been one player manager Bruce Bochy has been able to count on day upon week

upon month. Duffy hit .239 in April, but he's averaged .301 or better each of the next four months. "This

kid hasn't had a break," Bochy said. "And what's amazing is the way he's playing. The energy, he hasn't

slowed down a bit. That's what's amazing. He's been a savior in that I can pencil him in there every day.''

Right fielder Hunter Pence (oblique) hasn't done any hitting off a tee lately. He had tried to do that

but stopped when he began to feel discomfort.

Reliever Cory Gearrin faced his first two batters as a Giant on Friday, retiring both, and leaving a good

impression with Bochy, who was going to bring him into a 5-1 game only to see the Giants score four

extra runs and make it 9-1.

10

"I was bringing him into a tighter game. That's the confidence I have it him," Bochy said, adding he'd

been impressed by the video he'd seen of Gearrin while with Triple-A Sacramento.

Sunday's game

San Diego (Odrisamer Despaigne 5-8) at Giants (Mike Leake 9-8), 1:05 p.m. CSNBA

MLB.com MadBum nearly perfect in shutting out Padres Oliver Macklin and Corey Brock SAN FRANCISCO -- Madison Bumgarner retired the first 23 batters he faced Saturday, flirting with what

would have been his first no-hitter and settling for a one-hit shutout as the Giants topped the Padres, 8-

0, at AT&T Park.

Bumgarner allowed only a two-out single to pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr., a clean single up the middle,

with two outs in the eighth inning. He finished with nine strikeouts, picking up his 10th career complete

game and fourth this season. The victory was the left-hander's 18th of the year, tying a career high set in

2014.

"What an incredible performance," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said as his team remained 7 1/2 games

behind the Dodgers in the National League West race. "We're all a little disappointed, but yet, you

witnessed just a beautiful game he threw tonight."

Marlon Byrd gave the Giants their first runs with a two-run double to left as part of a four-run fourth

inning. He added an RBI single off Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy in a three-run fifth inning.

Kennedy allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Byrd's big night: Byrd's double got the ball rolling for the Giants, but he wasn't done there. The right

fielder followed up his two-base hit with an RBI single in the fifth to extend San Francisco's lead to 7-0.

He also singled in the second inning and added a walk in the seventh, capping off a 3-for-3 performance.

No no-no: Upton sat around for seven-plus innings Saturday before being called on to pinch-hit for

reliever Frank Garces with two outs in the eighth inning against Bumgarner. No, no pressure there.

Upton lined a single into center field, helping to prevent the Giants from tallying what could have been

their fourth no-hitter against the Padres since 2009.

11

"In that situation, I'm just trying to have a good AB [at-bat]. He threw me a couple of fastballs, actually

all fastballs, and left one out over the plate and I didn't try to do too much with it," Upton said.

Belt's blast: With the game well out of reach, Brandon Belt decided to give San Francisco some insurance

for good measure. Belt sat on a hanging breaking ball from Garces and drove it into the right-center-field

seats for his 18th homer of the season, marking a career high for the Giants first baseman.

Talk about foreshadowing: Kennedy should have known it was going to be a rough start when it took

him 11 pitches -- that's right, 11 -- to retire Giants leadoff hitter Angel Pagan to start the game. Pagan

fouled off six pitches before grounding out to first base. It got worse from there; Kennedy allowed four

runs in the fourth and three in the fifth.

"It kind of snowballed on him," Padres interim manager Pat Murphy said of Kennedy.

QUOTABLE

"The Giants are putting on a clinic, putting balls in play. We're capable of that, too, so have to do a little

better job with the two-strike approach, handle the ball on the edge a little better. Teams go through

this a lot." -- Murphy after the Giants have scored 17 runs on 25 hits in the first two games of this series.

The Padres have had one run on five hits.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Had Bumgarner finished with a perfect game -- or a no-hitter -- it would have marked the third no-no in

as many years and the fourth since 2009 by the Giants against the Padres. Jonathan Sanchez fired a no-

hitter against the Padres in 2009 and Tim Lincecum had no-no's in 2013 and then against last season.

WHAT'S NEXT

Padres: Odrisamer Despaigne (5-8, 5.65 ERA) steps in to make an emergency start for Colin Rea, the

rookie who would have made his seventh big league start. Rea has soreness in his right elbow and

forearm area. It's not known if he'll pitch again this season. Despaigne has a 3.19 ERA in 36 2/3 career

innings against the Giants.

Giants: Mike Leake (9-8, 3.70) takes the mound for the sixth time as a member of the Giants. The right-

hander hopes to rebound from his last start, in which he allowed six runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

12

MLB.com Bumgarner dazzles with near-perfect game Oliver Macklin SAN FRANCISCO -- For 7 2/3 innings of the Giants' 8-0 win over the Padres on Saturday night, Madison

Bumgarner was flawless. But with one swing, Melvin Upton Jr. turned a potentially historic performance

into just another dominant outing from one of the game's best pitchers.

Upton, who entered his at-bat in the eighth inning 0-for-10 with six strikeouts against Bumgarner, laced

a fastball back up the box to break up the left-hander's perfect game.

"I'm sure he's disappointed, but he didn't show it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "After that hit, he

threw the ball great."

Bumgarner retired the last four batters he faced to finish off his 10th career complete game (fourth this

season) and fifth career shutout. He picked up his 18th win of the season, matching his career high from

2014.

"The goal is to go out there and win games and that's it," Bumgarner said. "But at the same time, you

like to be the guy who starts the game and also finishes it."

The Giants' ace worked the corners of the strike zone with absolute precision until the 99th pitch he

threw caught the heart of the plate, allowing Upton to drive the ball through the middle of the infield

and become the Padres' first man to reach base.

After Kelby Tomlinson leaped to snag a Derek Norris line drive in the seventh inning and Ehire

Adrianza ranged to his right to rob Justin Upton of a hit for the first out of the eighth, perfection seemed

imminent.

"The night seemed pretty special from early on," said Brandon Belt, who clubbed his career-high 18th

home run.

However, Upton Jr. entered as a pinch-hitter for reliever Frank Garces and ensured Bumgarner would

not add another page to his personal record book.

"Seeing how locked in he was early, probably after four or five innings, it felt like there was a

chance," Buster Posey said. "Unfortunately, it just didn't work out."

The reigning World Series MVP finished the night with nine strikeouts and didn't throw more than 18

pitches in any inning.

Bumgarner earned his seventh straight victory at AT&T Park and is 7-0 with a 1.34 ERA in his last eight

home starts.

13

"What an incredible performance," Bochy said. "We're all a little disappointed, but yet, you witnessed

just a beautiful game he threw tonight."

MLB.com Durable Duffy making Rookie of the Year case Oliver Macklin SAN FRANCISCO -- As the Giants' list of injuries piles up near the conclusion of Major League Baseball's

regular season, manager Bruce Bochy has had one player he can count on: third baseman Matt Duffy.

Duffy, who began the year on San Francisco's bench in favor of ex-Giant Casey McGehee, took over the

starting job at third base in mid-May and not once has peered into the rear-view mirror.

The 24-year-old has surpassed expectations with his performance on the field and has been one of the

few Giants who has managed to stay healthy to this point in the season.

"This kid hasn't had a break," Bochy said. "It shows you how critical it is to have those type of guys that

are durable. ... He's been a savior for the fact that I can pencil his name in there every day."

With the Rockies' Charlie Blackmon taking the day off Saturday, Duffy became the National League's

active leader in consecutive games played with 98 straight appearances dating back to May 24.

"We're banged up," Duffy said. "I've got to be out there every day, and I understand. I'm not saying I

wouldn't benefit from a day off, but I think everybody at this point would benefit from a day off. I know

we're scratching and clawing here, and every game, every inning is important. I want to be out there if I

can, and right now, I absolutely feel like I can."

Duffy's numbers at the plate are equally impressive. He entered Saturday leading all rookies with 146

hits and a .300 batting average (minimum 100 at-bats) and is second with 68 RBIs, behind the Cubs' Kris

Bryant.

Bryant, meanwhile, has gained much of the national attention regarding the National League Rookie of

the Year race, largely in part to his 24 home runs and 90 RBIs.

But in the thick of the race for the NL's best first-year player, Duffy's dependability should not be

overlooked, Bochy said.

"He's had a great year," Bochy said of his third baseman. "He's going against [Bryant] who's really having

a big year, too, but he's got to be in that mix with the year he's [had]. The numbers speak for

themselves, and the fact that he's been so durable."

With the rest of the Giants' lineup ceding to the injury bug, Bochy said he's also been impressed by the

energy and consistency Duffy brings to the team.

14

"The consistency is what's really been impressive," Bochy said. "Every day he brings something. ... I think

it's a credit to the type of shape he's in but also the player that he is."

MLB.com Leake seeks first Giants win in clash with Padres Oliver Macklin and Corey Brock

The San Francisco Giants look to gain ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West

race as they send right-hander Mike Leake to the mound for Sunday afternoon's series finale against the

San Diego Padres.

Leake took the loss in his last outing against the D-backs, in which he surrendered six runs on 11 hits in 5

2/3 innings. Leake is still searching for his first win as a member of the Giants. He's gone 0-3 with a 4.31

ERA in five starts for San Francisco, which trails Los Angeles by 7 1/2 games in the NL West.

With scheduled Padres starter Colin Rea scratched with right elbow and forearm soreness, right-hander

Odrisamer Despaigne makes his first start since Aug. 6, when he allowed seven runs over five innings in

a 10-1 loss at Milwaukee. Despaigne hasn't been much better since moving to the bullpen, where he's

given up 15 earned runs over his last six appearances.

Things to know about this game

• Leake is 0-2 with a 3.07 ERA in five career starts against the Padres.

• Padres reliever Shawn Kelley, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 1 due to a sore right forearm, played long

toss in the outfield before Saturday's game against the Giants. If he comes out of that fine physically, he

could be set for a bullpen session next week in Arizona. There's still a good chance he pitches again this

season.

• Justin Upton has six hits in 14 career at-bats (.429) against Leake, including a double and a homer.

15

CSN Bay Area Giants notes: Duffy gives Giants another iron man Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO -- For parts of three seasons, manager Bruce Bochy took a "set it and forget it"

approach to the right field slot in his lineup. Hunter Pence played every day, through bruises and fatigue

and likely a few injuries the public never found out about. A couple of fluke injuries have caused Pence

to spend most of his season in the trainer's room, but Bochy still has an iron man.

Matt Duffy will make his 59th consecutive start at third base on Saturday and play in his 98th

consecutive game. That's the fourth-longest streak in the Majors, behind Manny Machado (141), Kole

Calhoun (132) and Charlie Blackmon (119). Not bad for a player who started the spring without a

guaranteed roster spot and started the season as a utility man.

"The kid hasn't had a break," Bochy said. "What's amazing is the way he's playing. He hasn't slowed

down a bit. That's what's incredible. He reminds me of Pence when he had that streak. These guys are in

great shape."

The durability has been especially important given all the injuries Bochy has had to work through. Duffy,

Brandon Belt and Buster Posey are the only regulars who have not gone down to injury. Even three of

the backups (Hector Sanchez, Andrew Susac and Gregor Blanco) are likely done for the year. Duffy isn't

just out there going through the motions, either. He was a stealth All-Star candidate in the first half and

remains in the running for the NL Rookie of the Year award. As I noted in my recap of August (see: No.

5), Duffy has hit above .300 in every month he's been a starter.

"The consistency is what's really been impressive," Bochy said. "It's every day that he brings something.

It's a credit to the type of shape he's in, but also the player he is. He's just a really solid all-around player.

He's a ballplayer. He comes and brings it every day. He's got that ability to get himself up every day and

that's not easy."

You don't approach 100 straight games without playing through something, and Duffy has dealt with an

ankle sprain that almost knocked him out of a game last month. He stayed in -- in part because the

backup infield options were Juan Perez and Buster Posey -- and hasn't missed a beat. The power

numbers have taken a dip, but Duffy is hitting .279 in September and had a big two-run single on Friday.

Since becoming a starter in May, he has not gone more than two straight games without a hit.

Duffy has a long way to go before reaching Pence's streak of 383 straight games played that ended when

he got hit by a pitch this spring. That was the third-longest streak in franchise history. Bochy figures

Pence will get back to his everyday ways next year, giving the Giants two guys who will push to play 162

games. Asked about the streak Saturday, Duffy smiled and pointed out that the run to Cal Ripken's

record starts with a streak like this one. He said the durability is important to him, and there's no reason

to pull back now. The ankle remains taped, but Duffy said it's just about 100 percent. Bochy intends on

pushing this run well past 100 straight games.

"He's been a savior," he said. "I just pencil his name in every day."

16

--- Pence is said to be feeling better the last couple of days. There seemed to be more optimism today

that he'll return sometime this season. Brandon Crawford's leg isn't nearly as purple as it was two days

ago and Bochy said the oblique strain is just about gone. When the calf gets a little better, Crawford will

be back out there.

CSN Bay Area Instant Replay: Bumgarner nearly perfect in Giants' win Alex Pavlovic

SAN FRANCISCO — Perfection continues to elude Madison Bumgarner.

After so many close calls, Bumgarner looked poised to add another historic achievement to a resume

that may put him in the Hall of Fame years from now. He retired the first 23 Padres he faced on

Saturday night before pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. poked a single up the middle with two outs in the

eighth.

Bumgarner settled for his third career one-hitter as the Giants beat the Padres 8-0 at AT&T Park. He

became the second player in the majors to reach 18 wins and the first in the National League to pitch a

fourth complete game.

Tim Lincecum no-hit the Padres each of the past two seasons, and Bumgarner showed the right stuff

early. He struck out three the first time through the order, getting the first nine outs on 40 pitches. The

Padres went down quickly in the fourth, but Bumgarner gave up some hard contact a frame later.

Justin Upton opened the fifth by hitting a deep fly to right-center, but on a cool night by the cove the

ball had no chance of getting down in a gap. Angel Pagan tracked it down just in front of the warning

track. Jedd Gyorko drove the next pitch to deep left, but Alejandro De Aza made an easy catch on the

edge of the track.

By that point, the Giants had a four-run lead thanks in large part to Justin Upton. With two on and two

down in the fourth, Marlon Byrd hit a hard liner to left that clanked off Justin Upton’s glove as he

approached the wall. Two runs scored, and the Giants tacked on additional runs on a triple by Kelby

Tomlinson and single by Ehire Adrianza.

The Giants sent eight more batters to the plate in the fifth and scored three more runs, meaning

Bumgarner had to sit for 25 minutes between pitches. It didn’t matter. He struck out Austin Hedges on

three pitches to open the sixth. Clint Barmes became the fourth Padre to get to a three-ball count, but

17

Bumgarner froze him with a 92 mph fastball on the outside corner. Cory Spangenberg flied out to left,

giving Bumgarner 18 consecutive outs.

Wil Myers swung through a fastball to give Bumgarner his 19th out. The scare came a batter later when

Derek Norris lined a shot up the middle, but infield coach Ron Wotus had Tomlinson positioned perfectly

and he made a jumping grab. When Kemp grounded out softly to short, Bumgarner was through seven

perfect innings for the second time in his career.

The left-hander took a perfect game into the eighth last August 26 but Justin Morneau broke it up with a

double into the right-field corner. This time, Bumgarner would get to 23 consecutive outs. The best

battle of the night came at the beginning of the seventh, when Justin Upton took a close 2-2 pitch and

then fouled off a wicked 3-2 slider. He hit a grounder deep to short but Ehire Adrianza made a difficult

play look easy. When Gyorko flied out to right, Padres manager Pat Murphy called for Upton Jr. as a

pinch-hitter.

Once a budding superstar, Upton Jr. has been one of the worst hitters in baseball over the past three

seasons and is only a Padre because the Braves wanted to dump salary in a bigger deal. Still, he broke up

Chris Heston’s no-hit bid in the sixth earlier this season and he got to Bumgarner on Saturday.

CSN Bay Area Rewind: Giants feel Bumgarner's no-hitter is 'matter of time' Alex Pavlovic

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s dangerous to say something is inevitable in baseball. Melvin Upton Jr. dispensed

that age-old lesson on Saturday night.

Upton Jr. has the lowest batting average in baseball over the last three years, but he happened to be the

only one who could manage a hit off Madison Bumgarner on Saturday. Bumgarner settled for his third

career one-hitter and second in the last 13 months, reminding us once again that a perfect game is not a

birthright. It’s not inevitable.

Just don’t tell that to the Giants.

“You just feel like it’s a matter of time with him,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s been so close.”

It’s inevitable?

18

“Yeah, absolutely. That’s the best way to describe it,” first baseman Brandon Belt said. “It didn’t work

out for him tonight, but it’s one of those things you know is going to happen.”

It’s hard to argue with the logic, even if MLB history shows that only 23 pitchers have reached

perfection. Bumgarner doesn’t care much for the history books, anyway. He tore them up last October

en route to a third title before his 26th birthday. On nights like this one, he looks very much like a

pitcher who one day will go 27 up, 27 down. The Padres had no chance until Upton Jr. poked a mild

single up the middle, and they had no chance after the night’s only hit. One of these nights, you figure

luck will get Bumgarner that one out he’s missing, but he said it’s not something he’ll search for.

“I’m not here to pitch perfect games or no-hitters,” he said. “It would definitely be special no matter

what, but my main concern is winning games.”

Few are better at that than Bumgarner. He became the second 18-game winner in the majors and tied a

career high. With three weeks left in the season, he has a strong shot at becoming the franchise’s first

20-game winner since 1993. On Saturday he insisted he was happy with the win and not at all

disappointed when Upton Jr. singled.

“No. No. No,” he said, smiling. “If there was (disappointment) I wouldn’t tell you, but there’s really not.”

The lone baserunner came in the eighth after 23 straight Padres had gone down quietly. Bumgarner

cruised, getting strikeouts and flyouts and rarely needing help. Justin Upton’s long fly in the fifth was

tracked down easily by Angel Pagan. Ron Wotus had Kelby Tomlinson positioned perfectly in the

seventh -- a couple steps toward the second-base bag on Derek Norris -- and the rookie made a leaping

catch on the only ball Bumgarner thought would get through in the first seven innings. Justin Upton hit a

grounder deep to the hole at short in the eighth but Ehire Adrianza made it look easy. Adrianza has

struggled mightily at the plate, but the Giants have kept him around as their second-best shortstop

glove.

“We all know what kind of defensive player he is and what kind of range he’s got,” Bumgarner said. “I

felt he would get to it and he did.”

Adrianza and Tomlinson aren’t Plan A for a no-hit bid. Bochy is always proactive in those moments,

putting his best defense on the field. But as he looked at a banged-up bench on Saturday and then

looked out at the field, he realized he wouldn’t need to make any moves. Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford

and Gregor Blanco are all hurt.

“There was nobody I was going to change,” Bochy said. “We had our good defense out there and they

did a nice job.”

19

With the action on the field set, the focus turned to the dugout. Players are famously superstitious

during runs at history, and Belt took a lot of good-natured ribbing for accidentally sitting in Matt Cain’s

spot on the bench in the seventh inning of his 2012 perfect game. Given the way this one ultimately

turned out, maybe Belt should have taken Bumgarner’s spot for an inning or two.

“I thought about it,” he said, smiling.

Surely, nobody would mess with Bumgarner, perhaps the most-feared pitcher in the game …

“No, really, I really did think about it,” Belt said. “I should’ve.”

Bumgarner probably would have appreciated the gesture. Teammates say Bumgarner doesn’t buy into

the unwritten no-hitter rules. Bumgarner doesn’t want anything to change during a game and often will

come up and start a conversation with a guy when the hits column on the scoreboard still reads zero.

“I want my guys to be as comfortable as they can be,” Bumgarner said. “I feel like it pays off and that

aura rubs off on everybody else.”

The aura filled the ballpark as another sellout crowd gave Bumgarner one standing ovation after the

next. This was the night, they felt.

“I think we all felt it,” Bochy said. “Once you get into that fifth inning area, it was all working. You always

get that feeling with Bum once he gets into that fifth inning area. What an incredible performance.

We’re all a little disappointed, but yet you witnessed a beautiful game tonight. He just had a great look

about him.”

With four outs remaining, Bumgarner lost his chance to Upton Jr., the same player who hit a broken-bat

single against Chris Heston earlier this year at Petco Park to break up a budding no-hit bid. Upton Jr. had

been 0 for 10 with six strikeouts against Bumgarner.

“It sounded like it broke his bat, but I’m not sure if it did,” Bumgarner said. “If it hits one way or the

other, somebody might have a chance, but there’s nobody standing out there in shallow center field.”

Bumgarner got a standing ovation as Upton Jr. touched first and then another one when he left the field

after the eighth. He got another raucous roar at the start of the ninth, and quickly finished off his third

complete game in his last seven starts.

Coming off October’s performance, the 26-year-old spent much of his spring answering questions about

his arm and his future. National reporters would parachute into Scottsdale, watch Bumgarner face a few

20

Cactus League opponents, then ask if he was worried about the fact that he threw 270 innings in 2014.

He grew tired of the questions, and a weary smile would cross his face when he knew where a query

was going.

Months later, Bumgarner is seven outs from a 200-inning season. He’s on pace for 225 innings, which

would be a career-high for the regular season. He’s the only National League pitcher with four complete

games.

Bumgarner doesn’t have that perfect game, but the left arm is as strong as ever.

“The goal is to go out there and win games, but at the same time you like to be the guy that starts the

game and also finishes it,” he said. “I’d like to think (this season) answers a lot of questions I had coming

into the year. That’s why I come in and work my butt off every day.”

CSN Bay Area NL West Watch: Seager, Dodgers power past D'Backs AP

PHOENIX -- Corey Seager had four hits, including his first career homer, as the Los Angeles Dodgers went

deep four times in a 9-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford also homered for the NL West-leading Dodgers.

Seager, playing shortstop with veteran Jimmy Rollins only available for pinch-running duty because of

injured finger, had three RBIs, scored three times and stole a base. He got help from a Diamondbacks

fan who reached over the padding down the left-field line in the fifth inning to take a seemingly

catchable foul ball away from David Peralta and Jake Lamb, and Seager then homered to right in the

same at-bat.

J.P. Howell (6-1), the first of seven Dodgers relievers, got the last out in Arizona's three-run fourth to

pick up the win.

Rubby De La Rosa (12-8) gave up six runs and nine hits in two-plus innings to fall to 0-3 against the

Dodgers this season

Crawford began the game with his ninth career leadoff home run, a line drive just over the right-field

fence. ThenChase Utley singled, took third on a two-out single by Andre Ethier and scored on a soft

ground ball to second base from Seager that the Diamondbacks' Chris Owings juggled for a hit.

21

That gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and they went ahead 7-0 in the third on Gonzalez's

leadoff home run, Ethier's run-scoring double, and RBI single for Seager and Pederson's two-run blast.

The Diamondbacks rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth and loaded the bases with two out,

after Pete O'Brien's pinch RBI single and sacrifice flies for Nick Ahmed and Ender Inciarte.

Mike Bolsinger had thrown a wild pitch earlier in the inning to put runners in scoring position. He was

replaced by Howell after an intentional walk to Paul Goldschmidt, and Howell got David Peralta to fly

out to shallow left field to end the threat.

Seager made it 8-3 with his home run, and Inciarte cut the lead to 8-4 in the sixth with a single to drive

in A.J. Pollock.

Peralta's 15th home run of the season, off the Dodgers' Luis Avilan, came in the seventh and Alex

Guerrero added an RBI double in the ninth.

De La Rosa brushed back Seager with an inside pitch in the third, just before Seager singled up the

middle. Both teams were warned by home plate umpire Brian O'Nora.

UMPIRING CHANGE

O'Nora joined the umpiring crew for the series in time for Saturday's game and worked home plate, with

Jim Wolf out after being struck in the mask by a foul ball during the second inning on Friday night.

GAME TIME CHANGE

The Diamondbacks' regular-season finale on Oct. 4 against the Houston Astros has been changed from a

1:10 p.m. start time to 12:10 p.m, local time.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: Crawford left the game for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning due to right hamstring tightness

and is day to day, the Dodgers announced. Crawford missed 75 games with a strained right oblique

earlier this season. ... C Yasmani Grandal (shoulder) returned to the lineup for the first time since last

weekend. ... OF Yasiel Puig is testing his strained right hamstring at the Dodgers' spring training facility in

the Phoenix area, but is not with the team at Chase Field for the series. ... Guerrero had an MRI on his

sore left calf after he was hurt running out an infield hit Friday and left the game, but was running under

trainer supervision before Saturday's game. ... 2B Howie Kendrick worked out Friday and will continue

his rehabilitation from a left hamstring injury in Los Angeles with hitting and running Monday and

Tuesday He's missed more than a month.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Zack Greinke (16-3, 1.68 ERA) is 8-2 in 13 road starts this season. He is 6-3 with a 3.62 ERA

against Arizona in his career (13 starts), including a 5-2 mark at Chase Field.

22

Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin is 2-0 in his last three starts and 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA in six career

starts against the Dodgers.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat Giants' Madison Bumgarner flirts with perfect game in 8-0 win Rick Eymer

SAN FRANCISCO — About the only thing Madison Bumgarner didn’t do Saturday night was get a hit of

his own.

Bumgarner lost his bid for a perfect game on a single with two outs in the eighth inning, the lone

blemish for the San Francisco Giants ace in an 8-0 victory against the San Diego Padres.

“I’m here to win games. That’s it,” Bumgarner said. “All the other stuff is really cool and I’ll take it. It

would definitely be special, but winning is what I like most.”

Bumgarner (18-7) retired his first 23 batters before pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. sent a clean single up

the middle. The big left-hander received a warm ovation from the disappointed crowd of 41,564 and

then went right back to work.

“He’s been so good it seems fitting for him to throw a perfect game,” teammate Brandon Belt said. “I

hated to see that go through, but it doesn’t take away how good he was.”

Bumgarner completed the one-hitter without permitting another runner and finished with nine

strikeouts while matching his career high for wins set last year.

“When he’s got it going he’s tough, and we caught him on a day he had it,” Upton said. “He didn’t make

many mistakes. The stars have to be aligned for guys to pitch games like that.”

It was the fifth career shutout and second this season for Bumgarner, who has thrown four of his 10

major league complete games this year.

“I like to be the guy that starts and, at the same time, I want to finish it,” he said.

Marlon Byrd drove in three runs. Belt and Angel Pagan both homered to support the 26-year-old

Bumgarner, last year’s NLCS and World Series MVP.

Against the Padres, he almost added perfection to a dazzling resume that includes three championship

rings.

23

“He was awesome and the night seemed special early on,” Belt said. “It’s one of those things you know

will happen. We’re just waiting for it.”

The only perfect game in Giants history was tossed by teammate Matt Cain against Houston in June

2012.

Another longtime teammate, Tim Lincecum, pitched a no-hitter against San Diego in each of the past

two seasons. And Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter for the Giants versus the Padres on July 10, 2009.

San Francisco rookie Chris Heston had a no-hitter against the New York Mets on June 9.

Matt Kemp hit the ball hard twice for the Padres, and Pagan ran down a ball in right-center on a long fly

by Justin Upton to open the fifth.

Derek Norris hit a sharp liner right to Kelby Tomlinson at second base for the second out of the seventh,

and Bumgarner punched his hand into his glove in delight.

“I thought the ball to Tomlinson was more up the middle and I thought it would get through,” he said.

Justin Upton was denied a hit again leading off the eighth on a backhand play from deep in the

shortstop hole by Ehire Adrianza.

Ian Kennedy (8-14) had a one-hitter going through 3⅔ innings before walking Buster Posey and Belt,

both of whom scored on Byrd’s double. Tomlinson followed with a triple and Adrianza singled to make it

4-0.

It never got better for Kennedy, who gave up Pagan’s fifth-inning homer, Alejandro De Aza’s triple, Belt’s

RBI groundout and Byrd’s RBI single before being replaced.

Kennedy allowed seven runs and seven hits over 4⅔ innings. He entered 11-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 24

starts against the Giants.

Belt added his career-best 18th home run in the seventh. He scored three times.

Byrd went 3 for 3 with a walk and is hitting .583 (14 for 24) since ending a 1-for-17 streak.

On a night when the Bay Area heat wave lifted for at least a day, San Francisco sported its “Gigantes”

jerseys.

24

The Sacramento Bee Giants’ Madison Bumgarner flirts with perfection Matt Kawahara

Giants manager Bruce Bochy thought this might be it. So did first baseman Brandon Belt. With Madison

Bumgarner yet again flirting with perfection into the late innings Saturday night, the Giants’ dugout

entertained the possibility that the 26-year-old left-hander might add one more distinction to his

already decorated resume.

But this achievement would have to wait. Bumgarner had his perfect-game bid broken up by Melvin

Upton Jr.’s pinch-hit single with two outs in the eighth inning, and he settled instead for a one-hitter and

his career-high-tying 18th win of the season as the Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 8-0, at AT&T Park.

Bumgarner twirled his National League-leading fourth complete game on 111 pitches – never pitching

out of the stretch until his 100th – and finished with nine strikeouts. It was his third career one-hitter,

including last August 26 against the Rockies, in which Justin Morneau dashed his chance at perfection

with a leadoff double in the eighth.

“You just feel like it’s a matter of time with him,” Bochy said. “He’s been so close.”

After Upton’s clean line drive up the middle, a crowd of 41,564 stood and applauded. Bumgarner

regrouped quickly, getting Austin Hedges to ground out to end the inning and retiring the Padres in

order in the ninth. He became the second pitcher in the majors this season to 18 wins, and helped the

Giants keep their fading postseason hopes alive on a night the division-leading Dodgers also won in

Arizona.

Afterward, Bumgarner was asked if he was at all disappointed to come so close to perfection and fall

short.

“No,” he said, laughing. “No. If there was I wouldn’t tell you, but there’s really not.

“I don’t mean to say I don’t care. But I’m not here to throw perfect games or no-hitters or any of that.

It’d definitely be special, no doubt about it. But my main concern is winning games, and that’s it.”

With four starts likely remaining this season, Bumgarner has a good chance at becoming the first Giants

pitcher to win 20 games since John Burkett and Bill Swift both eclipsed the number in 1993. The Giants

haven’t had a left-hander win 20-plus games since 1973, when Ron Bryant won 24.

But the franchise has thrown no-hitters in each of the last four seasons -- Matt Cain in 2012, Tim

Lincecum in 2013 and 2014 and Chris Heston earlier this year -- and Saturday night it looked like

Bumgarner would join that group. His fastball honed in on corners and altered eye levels. His cutter

darted and his changeup dove. His slider nipped at the back heels of the Padres’ right-handed hitters.

25

“I think we all felt it once you get in that fifth inning, the way he was throwing the ball,” Bochy said. “He

was on tonight. It was all working.”

The Giants by then had already sapped the decision of any drama by handing a 7-0 lead after five innings

to Bumgarner, who is now 42-1 in his career when getting six or more runs of support.

Bumgarner said he started to seriously consider the possibilities as he faced the Padres lineup for the

third time. He struck out Wil Myers leading off the seventh, but thought that his bid was over when

Derek Norris hit a sharp liner toward center field. Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson was shading toward

the bag, though, and leapt for the catch.

Shortstop Ehire Adrianza prolonged the drama by going deep in the hole for a backhand play on Justin

Upton’s grounder to start the eighth. Jedd Gyorko flied out to right field, and with the pitcher’s spot

coming up, the Padres sent up Upton -- who had faced Bumgarner 13 times in his career and had no

hits.

“I’m sure he’s disappointed, but he didn’t show it,” Bochy said of Bumgarner. “We’re all a little

disappointed. But yet you witnessed just a beautiful game he threw tonight.”

The Sacramento Bee In season of absences, Matt Duffy has been a constant for Giants Matt Kawahara SAN FRANCISCO -- Amid all the injuries the Giants have dealt with this season, there is one name

manager Bruce Bochy has consistently been able to write into his lineup card.

It’s that of Matt Duffy, who didn’t even become an everyday player for the Giants until mid-May.

Entering Saturday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Duffy had started 58 consecutive games at third

base and played in 97 straight games overall -- the fourth-longest active games played streak behind

Manny Machado (140), Kole Calhoun (131) and Charlie Blackmon (118).

The Giants’ iron man the last two and a half seasons was right fielder Hunter Pence, who had a streak of

383 consecutive games played snapped when he missed the season opener this year recovering from a

broken arm. And Bochy said Duffy’s durability has reminded him in some ways of Pence.

"This kid hasn’t had a break," Bochy said. "And what’s amazing is the way he’s playing, the energy. He

hasn’t slowed down a bit either. That’s incredible."

Duffy hasn’t totally avoided injury this year -- he tweaked his ankle in a game against the Chicago Cubs

last month (memorably stealing second base later in the inning), but stayed in the game and didn’t miss

26

a start, joking that given the Giants’ injury-depleted roster he wanted to avoid having Buster Posey play

third base.

Meanwhile, he has maintained a .300 average entering Saturday and compiled a genuine Rookie of the

Year case by leading all N.L. rookies in batting average and hits (146), and ranking second in RBIs (68),

runs (64) and total bases (212).

"The consistency is what’s really been impressive," Bochy said. "I think it’s a credit to the type of shape

he’s in, but also the player that he is. He’s got a great swing, a simple swing, good balance at the plate,

good defender, good base-runner.

"He’s a ballplayer, and he brings it every day. He’s got the ability to get himself up every day, and that’s

not easy."

Speaking of Pence, Bochy said he believes the outfielder has had a "freak season" where injuries are

concerned. Pence remains sidelined by an oblique injury and hasn’t started to swing a bat, though Bochy

said he has "turned it up a little bit" in other workouts. Until Pence starts swinging, though, the Giants

won’t have an idea of his timetable.

Bochy didn’t have many updates about the Giants’ other injured players Saturday, other than that

shortstop Brandon Crawford is "doing a lot better." Bochy said Crawford’s oblique is fine, but his left calf

is still sore where he was hit by pitch last week. Crawford remains day-to-day.

Duffy, of course, is in the Giants’ lineup at third base for the 59th straight game Saturday against Padres

right-hander Ian Kennedy. The rest of the Giants’ lineup:

CF Pagan

LF De Aza

3B Duffy

C Posey

1B Belt

RF Byrd

2B Tomlinson

SS Adrianza

P Bumgarner

And the Padres’ lineup against Madison Bumgarner:

CF Myers

27

1B Norris

RF Kemp

LF Upton

SS Gyorko

3B Solarte

C Hedges

SP Kennedy

2B Spangenberg

The Sacramento Bee Madison Bumgarner shrugs at talk of perfection, but proud of durability Matt Kawahara SAN FRANCISCO

As Madison Bumgarner warmed up for the ninth inning Saturday night, the scoreboard at AT&T Park

showed a very straightforward video clip on repeat: The shaggy-haired left-hander looking straight into

the camera with his dead-eye stare, next to the words: “Madison Bumgarner.”

And that pretty much summed up the Giants’ 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres in which Bumgarner

took a perfect-game bid into the eighth inning before Melvin Upton, Jr., lined a single back up the

middle with two outs to break it up. Bumgarner settled for a one-hit shutout and his career-high-tying

18th win, giving him a strong shot at becoming the first Giants pitcher to win 20 games in a season since

1993.

The game story covers the details, and touches on the fact that Bumgarner’s manager and teammates

believe Upton Jr.’s hit Saturday night just delayed the inevitable. Bumgarner, they say, will finish out one

of these no-hitters eventually. Saturday was his third career one-hitter, and the second time he’s taken a

perfect game into the eighth.

“It’s just one of those things you know it’s going to happen,” first baseman Brandon Belt said. “We’re

just waiting on it.”

Said manager Bruce Bochy: “You just feel like it’s a matter of time with him.”

28

And Bumgarner’s response to all that?

“I’m not paying any attention to it at all,” he said. “I’m here to win games and that’s it. All the other

stuff’s really cool, and I’ll welcome it for sure. But the main concern is on winning games.”

Perhaps that’s a healthy attitude -- otherwise, nights like Saturday could fray your nerves. Consider that

before going up to pinch-hit in the eighth, Upton Jr. had faced Bumgarner a total of 13 times in his

career with a line of: 0-for-10, three walks, six strikeouts. Yet on a 2-1 pitch, Upton Jr. got enough of a 93

mph fastball to line it softly back up the middle for the Padres’ lone baserunner of the night.

Bumgarner said he regretted nothing about the pitch.

“I want to go after him, I want to give myself a chance to do it,” Bumgarner said. “I don’t want the first

baserunner to be on a walk, so I’m going to come right at you.

“I think it sounded like it broke his bat. I’m not sure if it did, I don’t want to say that if it didn’t. But that’s

one of those things where it’s hit one way or the other, somebody might have a chance. But nobody’s

standing out there in shallow center field.”

Bumgarner said the last part with a wry grin. He said that he felt no disappointment over losing the

perfect game and that he was “just as happy with what we got” -- a win to keep the Giants’ fading

postseason hopes on life support.

What he did admit to taking pride in was his fourth complete game of the season. He has now pitched

197 2/3 innings this season and will eclipse the 200-inning mark for a fifth consecutive year. The

concerns voiced by some over how Bumgarner would return from his massive workload in the

postseason last year apparently were for naught.

“The goal is to go out there and win games and that’s it, but at the same time you like to be the guy that

starts the game and also finishes it,” Bumgarner said. “I like to think that answers a lot of the questions

coming into the year.”

▪ Many perfect games and no-hitters seem to have that one defensive play that stands out as pivotal.

There were a couple candidates in the later innings: Kelby Tomlinson leaping for Derek Norris’ line drive

in the seventh inning and Ehire Adrianza going way deep to his back-hand for Justin Upton’s grounder in

the eighth.

Bumgarner said he thought Norris’ ball was going to end the bid. But Tomlinson’s catch was a product

not only of good reflexes, but perfect positioning by the Giants’ staff. The second baseman hardly had to

move laterally to make the catch.

29

Adrianza’s play, on the other hand, had to be precise and required a strong throw with a speedy Upton

running up the line. And it was telling that Bumgarner said afterward that he expected that play to be

made.

“Adrianza, we all know what kind of defensive player he is for sure and what kind of range he’s got,”

Bumgarner said. “I didn’t feel like (the ball) was going to get through. I felt like he was going to get to it,

and he did.”

Adrianza has taken some heat from Giants fans this season largely because of his hitting, and though he

certainly isn’t the same hitter as a healthy Brandon Crawford, Saturday’s play helped illustrate why the

Giants have stuck behind Adrianza. At the time, he saved the perfect game.

▪ Bumgarner is now 42-1 in his career when he receives six or more runs of support. So the outcome

Saturday was pretty much decided when the Giants staked him to a 7-0 lead in the fifth. Marlon Byrd

had a two-run double in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth and is batting .583 in his last six games.

Angel Pagan hit his second homer of the season leading off the fifth.

“He’s showing that he’s healthy,” Bochy said of Pagan. “It’s good to see him healthy and running the

way he can, not having to deal with the knee there.”

Speaking of running, the Giants flashed some speed on the bases. Tomlinson legged out a triple on a line

drive into the left-center field gap. And Alejandro De Aza crushed a ball to Triples Alley that went for a

triple in the fifth.

As De Aza got to third base the ball was just reaching the Padres’ first cut-off man in shallow center field,

and Buster Posey in the on-deck circle, for one, seemed to want De Aza to try for the inside-the-park

home run. Third-base coach Roberto Kelly, however, held him up.

Belt hit his 18th homer of the season, matching his previous career high. Posey reached base twice on

walks but had his 11-game hitting streak snapped. It was about the only thing that went wrong for the

Giants on the night.

▪ The Giants will try for a much-needed sweep Sunday behind Mike Leake (9-8, 3.70). The Padres were

going to start right-hander Colin Rea, but he was reportedly scratched Saturday night, and Odrisamer

Despaigne, who pitched two innings in relief on Friday night, will start instead. First pitch at 1:05 p.m.