Bumgarner tames Tribe for sweep

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO

Madison Bumgarner bounced back from a one-out, eight-run performance with one of his best starts, striking out a career-high 11 batters in seven innings to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep.

Chris Stewart hit a two-run double for his first RBIs in more than four years and Aubrey Huff added an run-scoring single for the Giants, who have won five straight following a season-worst five-game losing streak.

But the story of the game was Bumgarner (4-9), who showed no lingering effects from his historically bad outing against Minnesota on Tuesday.

He gave up hits to the first eight batters he faced against the Twins and became the first pitcher since 1900 to give up nine hits and record just one out in a game.

Bumgarner was sharp from the start, allowing five hits and one run that might have been aided by a questionable call.

With a runner on first and no outs in the sixth, Orlando Cabrera hit a grounder down the third-base line for a double. It appeared as if the ball might have been foul. But with no third-base umpire on the play after plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt left in the second inning after taking a foul ball off his mask, Jerry Layne called it fair from behind the plate.

Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the run with a groundout before Bumgarner struck out the next two batters to escape the inning without further damage. He struck out the side in the seventh to finish his night.

Jeremy Affeldt struck out five in two perfect innings for his second save.

Fausto Carmona (4-10) lost for the seventh time in eight decisions, giving up three runs and seven hits in six innings. Carmona has a 8.58 ERA in those eight starts, but this time his problem was more a lack of offense.

Bumgarner quickly got off on the right foot, retiring the first two batters and giving up just one hit in a scoreless first. He pitched around a leadoff double in the second as Grady Sizemore was thrown out by Stewart trying to steal third.

Cleveland then put back-to-back singles together to open the fourth before Bumgarner retired the next three batters to escape that jam.

Bumgarner even got some rare offensive support in this game, as the Giants scored more than two runs for him at home for the first time since his major league debut in 2009.

After singles by Cody Ross and Bill Hall in the second inning, Stewart went the other way for a two-out double that scored both runners for his first RBIs since driving in a run for Texas against the Yankees on May 8, 2007. San Francisco put together three straight singles in the third with rookie Brandon Crawford scoring on Huff’s hit.

The Giants had a chance to add on in the fourth when Hall made it to third with no outs. But Stewart grounded out to third and then someone appeared to botch a sign as Hall ran on a pitch Bumgarner swung and missed at. Hall was caught in a rundown for the second out and Carmona escaped the inning despite Grady Sizemore dropping a routine fly ball by Bumgarner for an error.