Bumgarner K’s 9 As San Francisco Giants Sweep The Braves
May 4, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) pitches in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
This completes the sweep of the Braves, the first time the Giants have done so in Atlanta since 1988.
Much like the first two games of the series this game featured some solid starting pitching and home runs.
For the San Francisco Giants it was Madison Bumgarner who went six innings and struck out nine while walking just one. The one run scored against him came in third inning after a throwing error he made trying to get it to first on a sacrifice bunt. Thus, the run was unearned, but it was still his fault. He did get the win though and improves to 3-3 on the season.
For the Braves it was Alex Wood who had a very laborious outing having to pitch out of the stretch quite a bit. He threw over 100 pitches in just five innings of work although he allowed just two runs. He did have a few jams to get himself out of, but was able to work through them and as a result the Giants went 0-10 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 22 on base.
The first run for the San Francisco Giants came in the first when Buster Posey grounded out and in the process brough Hunter Pence in to score. Pence initially got on base with a double, then advanced to third on a wild pitch while Posey was up to bat.
The Braves answered in the third on a Jason Heyward sacrifice fly to score Ramiro Pena from third base. This was the result of Bumgarner’s throwing error which allowed Pena to reach third.
In the fourth inning Brandon Crawford retook the lead for the San Francisco Giants on a solo home run. Crawford was not done either as he struck again in the top of the eighth with a two-run home run against reliever Jordan Walden. That made it 4-1 and the Giants were in the driver’s seat.
From the seventh and beyond it was in the hands of the bullpen, one boasts the second best ERA in the league right now. They got the job done, too, and Santiago Casilla came in to finish the game off in the ninth. Sergio Romo got the day off, probably because he pitched in the two previous games against the Braves.
It wasn’t a great night for Michael Morse who struck out 3 times and went 0-3 with a walk. Brandon Belt also struggled going 0-5 with a strikeout and eight men left on base. Morse left four on base.
Tomorrow night the San Francisco Giants start a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates and will look to keep their success going.