Giants will let Bumgarner hit for himself in AL park

Although Yonder Alonso drove Bumgarner from the game with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, the Giants minimized mistakes while snapping a three-game losing streak.

Thanks in part to Bumgarner s tone-settingbat and Bochy s boldness, the Giants avoided getting swept by the A s in the four-game Bay Bridge series.

San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner has been campaigning to be included in next month’s Home Run Derby, and he has a chance to help make his case Thursday night.

“I’m not trying to prove anything to anybody”. “That’s all I care about”. I care about these guys, I care about our fans. In this league you’ve got to hit. “It could change after the game”.

Giants fans will have to settle for Thursday s show, because Bumgarner will not get his wish to participate in the All-Star home run derby. Bumgarner helped start the rally with a leadoff double. “We’re a pretty good team defensively, and that’s gotten away from us”. Bochy also said his understanding is a pitchers-only home run hitting contest, another format suggested after more pitchers said they wanted in the derby, will not happen this year. “We needed something to ignite this offense”.

In his first at-bat facing rookie left-hander Dillon Overton, the right-handed-swinging Bumgarner doubled to deep center leading off the third inning in which he batted twice as the Giants exploded for six runs.

The news comes on the same day that Bochy made a decision to have Bumgarner become the first pitcher since 1976 to hit during an interleague game in an AL stadium. Belt drove in four runs.

Overton overcame three solo homers in his big league debut Saturday night to beat the Los Angeles Angels. This time, he surrendered eight runs and eight hits with a strikeout and three walks. Bochy said. “I talked to him”.

“I’ve watched him on TV for years now”.

“I want to be as good baseball player as I can be”, Bumgarner said. “I left that one up and Bum made me pay for it”.

The post Bochy’s boldness, Bumgarner’s bat make an impact as Giants blast to a win in Oakland appeared first on Giants Extra. I went to a Cardinals-Braves old timer’s game around 1990 at old Busch and Gibson played shortstop for a few innings (and played it well I might add – though I don’t know what sort of exit velocity was coming off Gene Oliver’s bat), and he hit a ball all the way to the warning track. He had the stitches removed on Wednesday. “It will definitely be special to be able to throw against him”. “He went out and played catch and just couldn’t get after it”.

The A’s lineup hopes to continue its very hot stretch but will be without key cogs Khris Davis (shoulder soreness), Josh Reddick (rest) and Stephen Vogt (rest). He entered with a 1-2 record and 6.41 ERA in three previous starts in Oakland.

Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray (3-6) tries to snap a career-high five-game skid.