Bumgarner's gem sets up Giants' walk-off win

SAN FRANCISCO -- A homestand that began with a rough start from left-hander Madison Bumgarner ended with a rebound performance from the 29-year-old ace.

Bumgarner allowed just one run and struck out eight over six innings against the Dodgers, and the Giants made sure his effort didn’t go to waste, as Buster Posey delivered a walk-off single off Pedro Baez in the ninth to lift the club to a 2-1 victory and a series win over the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Oracle Park.

With the big hit, Posey tied Matt Williams for the most San Francisco walk-off plate appearances (three) against Los Angeles since the teams moved to California.

“All-around great game,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Both sides pitched so well. Bum, you saw how good he was tonight. All his pitches, his command, everything. He just had a great look about him and had great focus out there. A hard-fought game. Great win for us.”

Bumgarner showed an uptick in velocity, with his fastball topping out at 93.4 mph and his cutter reaching 89.1 mph. He induced 18 swinging strikes, his most since Sept. 19, 2016, against the Dodgers. Sixty-seven of his season-high 114 pitches were fastballs (58.8 percent), marking his highest fastball rate in a single outing since Oct. 5, 2016.

“I thought this was his best stuff that he’s had this year,” Posey said. “The fastball had good life. It definitely had better life. You could see the velocity was up. The cutter velocity was up as well. It was good to see.”

Bumgarner's strong showing came after he surrendered a career-high-matching 11 hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Yankees on Friday, which caused his ERA to rise to 4.30. He said he felt the issue wasn’t mechanical but rather a lack of feel for his pitches. In between outings, Bumgarner studied video and eschewed a traditional bullpen session, instead throwing a little extra on flat ground.

“Night-and-day difference from the last start and probably any start this year,” Bumgarner said. “I’ve been feeling close, but just a touch off. All year, it’s felt like it’s just right there, but not quite what I’m looking for. I’ve been studying stuff and trying different things to try to get to where I want to be, which in my mind, is a perfect delivery. I don’t think it’s there, but it’s definitely better than it has been. Everything felt much better today than it has in a while.”

The lefty showed improved crispness against the Dodgers, retiring the first nine batters he faced on 37 pitches before giving up a leadoff single to Enrique Hernandez in the fourth. The Dodgers continued to threaten after Justin Turner singled and Russell Martin walked, loading the bases with two outs for Max Muncy.

It was a situation fraught with peril for Bumgarner, as opposing batters entered Wednesday batting .500 (12-for-24) against him with runners in scoring position this season. But he managed to extricate himself from the jam by striking out Muncy swinging on a cutter, keeping the Giants’ 1-0 lead intact.

“He just had a different look,” Bochy said. “Nobody is better after coming off a rough start than Bum. He came back and had that determined look.”

Bumgarner carried a shutout into the sixth, but he surrendered a leadoff double to Hernandez, who accounted for two of the Dodgers’ four hits against him. Hernandez is now 23-for-45 (.511) with six doubles and four home runs off Bumgarner in his career. The Dodgers’ second baseman later scored the tying run from second on a two-out infield single from Cody Bellinger.

Brandon Belt made a terrific diving stop on Bellinger’s grounder down the first-base line, but Bumgarner couldn't cover first in time, allowing the speedy Bellinger to reach base safely. An alert Hernandez -- who had a 35-foot secondary lead at second base -- raced home in just 5.16 seconds on the play, too quick for Bumgarner to make a relay throw to the plate.

The run cost Bumgarner a chance at a win, but it did little to detract from his encouraging night, especially one that came at the expense of the rival Dodgers.

“We always play those guys tough, but that’s a big series win for us,” Bumgarner said. “They got a really good team over there, They’ve won the division six years in a row or whatever it is. That’s a good win for us.”