MLB

Giants' Madison Bumgarner Takes Loss in Padres 7-6 Win

World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner gave up two runs and four hits as the San Francisco Giants fell to the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Saturday.

James Shields, who matched up with Bumgarner in games one and five of the World Series, made his first appearance in a Padres uniform. He threw a scoreless inning.

The Padres got contributions from several of their offseason acquisitions. Former Red Sox Will Middlebrooks had a pair of hits, former Rays Wil Myers hit a solo home run against Tim Lincecum and former A's Derek Norris had a hit in three at bats.

Cory Spangenberg, a former Padres first-round pick, delivered a two-run single against Bumgarner in the second. Shortstop Alexi Amarista also drove in a pair of runs.

Angel Pagan singled and walked and Brandon Belt had two hits for the Giants. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, allowed two runs on two hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out five.

FORMER TEAMMATES

Shields knew the Giants' lineup before the Padres left Peoria for the game. The first batter he saw was a familiar face. Shields and Nori Aoki played both with the AL champion Kansas City Royals last year.

"I love that guy,'' Shields said. ``I loved playing with him. It's always good to see him.''

NEW TEAMMATES

Norris said getting to know the Padres position players will have to wait until after the regular season begins. Right now his priority is the pitching staff.

"I go out of my way to talk to pitchers,'' Norris said. "It's not rocket science, but it's not easy either. Each guy has his own tendencies and there are a lot of quality arms on this staff. They are all top tier. I may not get to know the position players for a while. For me, knowing the pitching staff is my priority. And I have to get my hitting in.''

Norris and Tyson Ross were teammates with the Oakland Athletics three years ago. The relationship has helped him break the ice with the rest of the staff.

"Knowing him, though he's not a social butterfly, helped break me in,'' Norris said. ``The guys are meshing well. We're here to win ballgames.''

STARTING TIME

Padres: Shields said everything went according to plan for his first spring trip to the mound. ``It's a process and, more importantly, my body feels good,'' he said. ``It was nice to get some adrenaline going.'' Shields said he likes to work on his fastball command early in the spring and won't generally throw a curve until the third outing. ``Getting up and down, facing hitters in live situations, that's what is good,'' he said. ``With Norris behind there, it's good to get to know him a little.''

Giants: Bumgarner said he felt a lot better in his second outing than his first. "I couldn't be happier,'' he said. "It's not mid-season form but it's a whole lot closer than it was. I feel like we're right on schedule. Everything is coming along the way it's supposed to.'' He acknowledged that he wanted to be further along in his preparation the last time out. ``It's about getting my work in and making sure I'm ready for the season,'' he said. "I made a big jump from the last start to now. I feel like I am really close.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Hunter Pence (broken bone in his left forearm) is the Giants' first casualty of the spring. Pitchers Matt Cain, Tim Hudson and Sergio Romo are getting closer to appearing in an exhibition game.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross goes Sunday against the Colorado Rockies in Peoria.

Giants: RHP Jake Peavy gets his second start of the spring vs the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday in a split-squad game. LHP Ty Blach, a top-10 prospect, starts the game at the Diamondbacks.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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