Madison was never one to watch a movie with passion or study opponents before launching Bumgunner. He likes to read hitters in the box, see where he puts his hands and feet and how he attacks his cutter as he gets bored on his hands.
Returning to Rac Racel Park he did the same thing on Saturday night, which was not as familiar as it was years ago. After the Giants’ 3-3 defeat, Bumger talked about trying to work with Darin Roof through matchups, the last time he had a confrontation with the Philadelphia Phillies years before Roof left for South Korea. He spoke of reading the swing of Daniel Robertson, the former Tampa Bay Ray, who joined the Giants earlier this week. And then he caught himself.
“I didn’t face any of that, I guess,” Bumgner said.
This was a new experience all around, and with the newcomers Bumgner found himself trying to figure out what to throw at longtime partner and friend Brandon Belt, and Joey Bart, the rising star who caught Bumperner’s first bullpen session last spring.
There weren’t as many matchups as Bumger hoped. At the start of his injury list, Bumperner was limited to 72 pitches, which got him through just four innings. He gave up two runs on Evan Longoria and Ruff’s back-to-back homers, but said he was overall satisfied. This was a move from Diamondbacks to its first four starts.
“I’m very happy with that,” Bumgner said. “I’m going to throw – need to throw – more than four innings, but where we’re and where we’re coming from is like the one we were there with today. I feel so good about that.”
The early hook meant Bumger got just two matchups with Bart, who could be his more reliable ally in the alternate universe. When Bart showed up to his first major league camp last spring, Bumperner went to him on the first day of the bullpen sessions and pointed to the first mound.
“Let’s go to No. 1,” he said.
It can be the beginning of a long working relationship. Bumperner wanted to help break the top prospect, but 10 months later, Diamondbacks came up with the best offer. Bumpner and Bart have similar personalities on the field – accepting to win over everyone else – but as long as Bumpner is a diamondback they will now be opponents.
Bumperner entered his first two matchups. In the second inning, he threw a fastball to Bart’s hand, then threw him away with an elevated fastball. After two innings, Bumganerre did what he has done for a decade, throwing his cutter to the right and slowly lowering Bart with two.
Bart said the first night he faced Bumgarar was “a little uncomfortable.”
“It was just weird. I have no other way to explain it,” he said with a smile. “Obviously he throws with different hand slots. It can be a little weird. I can come a little further to face him. He’s very good. Facing Madison Bumperner can never be an easy bat. Obviously. Everyone knows that. “
Bart, who later hit Triple for providing a crucial insurance run, said the overall experience was great. He lamented the fact that he would never face an older version of Bumgunner that was thrown out in the mid-90s, noting that “there would have been even more discomfort.”
The bumper tonight was mostly 89 miles, which has been normal for them this year. He didn’t have enough in his tank to dominate his old teammates, and the Giants scored the opening two runs and scored the required victory.
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Bungner set off for the visiting clubhouse after the fourth, and before that, there were no signs that he was feeling sad. This is not the year. Bumgunner said he tried to focus on what it was, in addition to just being a baseball game, in about a month it was his first.
“I still feel like I would have done it, if people had been allowed to come to the games, but no doubt it would have been more difficult.” “It’s my intention to get out of there.”
