Bumgarner's Gem Takes Giants Past Mets
On a weekend full of fine pitching performances and brisk games, Madison Bumgarner tossed the best game yet.
His two-hit shutout was far more than the Giants needed, and two home runs by Hunter Pence helped them beat the New York Mets 9-0 Sunday.
Bumgarner also singled, walked and scored two runs.
"He helps himself as much as any pitcher," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You throw a shutout, it's always impressive, but the way he pitched today, it's fun to watch.
Bumgarner (13-8) beat the Mets again, running his record to 3-0 in five games against them and helping the Giants to their third win in 10 games. Brandon Belt and Buster Posey also went deep for San Francisco.
The left-hander struck out 10 and walked one in his second career shutout (the other was a one-hitter in 2012 against the Reds), wrapping up Sunday's gem with a punch out of pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud to wrap up the game in a tidy 94 pitches.
"Fastball command is what set up that whole game for us." Bumgarner said. "When you're feeling good on days like today, you can go after guys,"
On Friday night, Ryan Vogelsong gave up two hits and one run in a game that ended in 2 hours, 6 minutes. On Saturday night, New York's Jacob deGrom and Jake Peavy both took no-hitters into the seventh inning.
Mets starter Bartolo Colon (10-9) was going for win No. 200, but the Giants got to him with a couple of home runs that barely cleared the walls before he started to look eminently hittable in the three-run fifth inning. Pence's two-run shot in the third was a line drive that went off the railing above the moved-in fence in left field. Brandon Belt hit a towering fly to right that tucked in just over the fence and inside the pole there for a 3-0 lead.
"I was real surprised, after he gets going into a game he actually gets better and better, today he just really did not have his good stuff," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
Pence hit a solo shot off Dana Eveland in the ninth inning.
"Each at bat is a completely new and separate at-bat," Pence said. "See the ball, hit the ball. That's my approach to hitting."
Bumgarner singled and scored his first of two runs on Pence's double in the fifth, and Posey drove him in before Pablo Sandoval's single ended Colon's afternoon. The easygoing 41-year-old right-hander tossed the ball gently in the air on the mound as he waited for Collins to remove him.
"It is almost better that Bart had one of these days because the offense was not doing anything," David Wright said.
Colon allowed six runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings as he tried for his 200th career win.
Giants: OF Angel Pagan (back) was set to continue his rehab assignment with a move to Triple-A Fresno, where the organization hopes to get him in games Monday and Tuesday.
Giants: Right-hander Tim Hudson (8-8) has a 1.77 ERA in his three starts since the All-Star break. He had a no-decision against the Mets earlier this season in San Francisco in a game the Giants won 5-4 on June 7.
Mets: Righty Dillon Gee (4-4) makes his fifth career start against the Giants, against whom he has a 6.75 ERA and 0-1 record.
Fans could be heard groaning in disappointment for all three of Colon's swing-and-misses during his third-inning at bat, but applauded his effort as he returned to the dugout.
The Giants entered Sunday's game with two home runs in their past 10 games, but added four against New York pitching. Pence hit Nos. 14 and 15 this season, while Posey's was his 13th and Belt hit his 11th.
