Arizona @ San Francisco preview
AT&T Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2013 ) Arizona 2, San Francisco 1
Madison Bumgarner looks for his first victory since Aug. 2 when the San Francisco Giants host the Arizona Diamondbacks in Sunday’s series finale. The Giants have lost eight of Bumgarner’s last nine starts, but the 24-year-old has posted a 2.67 ERA over that stretch. He faces an Arizona squad that stands eight games behind Cincinnati for the National League’s second wild card with 21 games to play.
Arizona’s playoff hopes are fading, but the team remains encouraged by the play of rookie outfielder Adam Eaton. The speedy 24-year-old missed most of the season with a strained left elbow, but he’s hitting .316 (25-for-79) with 16 runs scored over his last 20 games. “He’s coming around,” said manager Kirk Gibson. “He’s hard to defend, because he can hit anywhere and has some power. He’s a talented kid.”
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FSN (Arizona), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Wade Miley (9-10, 3.78 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (11-9, 2.91)
Miley aims to bounce back from the shortest outing of his career last Tuesday, when he surrendered five runs and eight hits over 1 2/3 innings against Toronto. “It was just one of those games you’ve got to put behind you and move forward,” he said. Marco Scutaro is 5-for-14 against Miley, who is 1-3 with a 3.51 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) against the Giants.
Bumgarner has one win since the All-Star break, but he’s still been the Giants’ most consistent starter this season. He yielded two runs and struck out six over six innings against San Diego last Tuesday. Aaron Hill is 4-for-13 with two home runs against Bumgarner, who is 4-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 13 career games (12 starts) against the Diamondbacks.
WALK-OFFS
1. San Francisco RF Hunter Pence has reached base safely in 16 straight games.
2. Arizona 3B Martin Prado missed Saturday’s game due to illness and is listed as day-to-day.
3. Giants C Buster Posey has missed the last four games with a fractured right ring finger, but he took batting practice on Saturday and hopes to return next week.
PREDICTION: Giants 4, Diamondbacks 2