San Francisco @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 5, 2010 ) San Francisco 6, Milwaukee 1

The San Francisco Giants probably aren’t too concerned yet, even though they are seven games out of first place in the NL West. Having one of baseball’s best pitching staffs allows a team to prematurely avoid pressing the panic button.

Madison Bumgarner is the newest addition to that staff and he is doing his best to make his name known.

The 20-year-old hurler takes the hill Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers looking for his first career win.

Over the past five seasons, San Francisco has developed a reputation as a team that relies almost exclusively on pitching to win games. It has been by necessity because Giants’ offense has been mediocre at best during that time period.

This year is proving to be no different. The Giants rank in the bottom third of the majors (20th) with 344 runs scored.

They had scored more than three runs just twice in their last 10 games (2-8) before breaking out for a 6-1 win in Monday’s opener. Aubrey Huff drove in a pair in a four-run seventh and Buster Posey homered in the triumph.

Despite their offensive ineptitude, the Giants are always a threat due to their talented pitching staff. Led by two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, San Francisco has the third-best team ERA (3.51) in baseball.

“They've struggled a little bit with their offense but their pitching staff is formidable, which is pretty much what was predicted," Brewers’ manager Ken Macha told MLB.com. "The season is still young. A lot of times in the second half, the people that have the formidable pitching staffs take over. So they're still in good shape as far as making a run."

Bumgarner (0-2, 4.50 ERA), who is making his fourth career start, certainly has the ability to help the Giants make a second-half run. The 10th overall pick of the 2007 draft has pitched pretty well since being called up on June 26.

In his first start, Bumgarner allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings of a 4-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The left-hander then allowed three earned runs and nine hits in seven innings of a 7-3 setback to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

He has his work cut out for him against the Brewers, who have the second-best offense in the National League and also boast one of baseball’s hottest hitters. All-Star Corey Hart enters with a 20-game hitting streak and has 16 homers since May 19 – the most in the majors.

Bumgarner will be opposed by Randy Wolf (6-7, 4.70), who is seeking to win consecutive starts for the first time this season.

Wolf yielded a run and four hits in six innings of a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA in his six starts versus the Giants.

The Brewers have lost three of the last four meetings in Milwaukee. But overall, they’ve have won 23 of the last 30 meetings at Miller Park.