Programming note: The Giants' 9-1 win over the Cubs on Thursday afternoon will re-air tonight at 8:30pm and 12:30am on CSN Bay Area.
SAN FRANCISCO -- They were banged-up and bandaged, but there were a lot of smiles when the Giants left the clubhouse Wednesday night. They knew this about the series finale: Madison Bumgarner would be starting.
Bumgarner did his part in a 9-1 win over the Cubs, giving up one run over six innings and striking out 12. This was far from a one-man show, however. The depleted lineup scored four runs off Dan Haren in the third inning, with Marlon Byrd providing a three-run homer. Kelby Tomlinson blew the game wide open in the eighth with a grand slam, his first career homer.
Bumgarner entered the day with 41 strikeouts in four August starts, and he whiffed the side in the first. He gave up a run in the second inning but struck out three more. Bumgarner struck out at least one batter in each of his six innings and got Cubs sluggers Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo twice apiece.
Two fill-in starters — Kelby Tomlinson and Juan Perez — got the Giants on the board with back-to-back hits in the second. Haren walked two in the third and Byrd made it 5-1 with a laser shot over the center field wall.
Bumgarner did the rest, finishing with his third 12-strikeout game of the month. He has made five starts in August and allowed just six total runs, while striking out 53 and walking four. With an infield single on Thursday, Bumgarner raised his August average to .277 with two homers and four RBI.
The Player of the Month Award will arrive in early September.
Starting pitching report: Bumgarner has 25 career double-digit strikeout games, with six coming this year. Three of them have come in his last four starts.
Bullpen report: Mike Broadway struck out two in his inning of work. He’s going to be here next Opening Day, most likely.
At the plate: Byrd came into the game with a .424 average and three homers against Haren. Ownage is ownage.
In the field: Go and look up Bumgarner’s spinning catch-and-plant in the third inning. Words can’t do it justice. (Although this is probably the only time in Bumgarner’s life that you could reasonably use the words “Bumgarner” and “ballerina” in the same sentence.)
Attendance: The Giants announced a crowd of 41,847 human beings. A ton of them were Cubs fans. Their money counts the same.
Up next: The league-leading Cardinals come to town, with Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia set to start.
