Giants' Madison Bumgarner uneven in spring debut but 'felt really good'
Bumgarner was sharp in the first inning and retired the Chicago Cubs in order on eight pitches. He failed, however, to retire any of the six batters he faced in a 29-pitch second inning and all six eventually scored.
Kyle Schwarber doubled to open the second and Addison Russell singled before Bumgarner hit David Bote on the helmet with a pitch to load the bases. Bote dropped to one knee but was able to walk off under his own power.cheap nike nfl jerseys free shipping
"It was a weird play because the ball was not on top of him," Giants catcher Rene Rivera said. "It looked like his head was over the plate and that's when it hit it. It squared him up pretty good. He lost his balance and I tried to hold him a little bit."
Bote was examined by the Giants medical staff and was to be checked by the Cubs staff at the team's facility.
"He got ahead and allowed two-strike hits, a couple plays we didn't make," Bochy said. "It was one of those Cactus League innings. I was very pleased with where he was with his stuff. He got ground balls and they hit the hole a couple times. Overall, he got us where he could and felt great."nfl nike jerseys for cheap
The 29-year-old Bumgarner is coming off back-to-back seasons during which he was slowed by injuries, making 17 starts in 2017 and 21 last year. He suffered a fractured left hand last March when he was hit by a line drive and said he's fully recovered from that injury and his grip feels strong. The radar gun showed one of his fastballs at 93 mph, which also is encouraging.
"I felt really good," Bumgarner said. "My command in the zone could be a little better and it's going to get better as we go here. For the first day, I was pretty excited about it. I felt good. A little tough luck with some ground balls there being just out of reach of some guys. It's weird to say but I'm not concerned about that at all. It's about how you feel, how you bounce back after the first inning and getting your work in."
