Alex Pavlovic

Offense Goes Flat for Bumgarner, Giants Lose Fourth Straight

SAN DIEGO — Through two starts, Madison Bumgarner has thrown 15 innings with a 3.00 ERA and hit two homers. The Giants haven’t won either one.

The lineup managed just five hits against Jhoulys Chacin and the San Diego bullpen, falling 2-1. The Giants dropped to 1-5 on the season-opening road trip after wasting Bumgarner’s complete-game effort.

Coming off a start that made national headlines, Bumgarner was out of sorts early on against an aggressive Padres lineup. He faced seven batters in the first and allowed a run on two doubles, a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Allen Cordoba, a 21-year-old shortstop who was a Rule 5 draft pick and had not previously played above rookie ball, singled to lead off the second. Cordoba’s first career hit led to a run when Manny Margo lined a double to left.

Jhoulys Chacin gave up nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings at Dodger Stadium earlier in the week, but the Giants had just two hard-hit balls off the right-hander and both of them ticked off fielder’s gloves.

Chacin allowed just one hit through four, a hustle double from Brandon Belt on a ball that was misplayed in left. Joe Panik singled off Wil Myers’ glove in the fifth but the Giants wouldn’t threaten. Eduardo Nuñez doubled off right fielder Hunter Renfroe’s glove in the seventh but Panik grounded out.

After throwing 73 pitches through four innings, Bumgarner locked in and managed to get through the final four on just 41.

Buster Posey singled with two outs in the ninth, took second on defensive indifference and scored on Brandon Crawford's single, but Nuñez flied out.

Starting pitching report: On a chilly night, Bumgarner wasn’t sitting 93-94 as he did at Chase Field, but the stuff got better as the night went on. He regularly hit 93 in the sixth and he allowed just one hit — an infield single — to the last 18 batters he faced.

Bullpen report: They got the night off.

At the plate: Bumgarner’s second day at the plate was pretty much the opposite of his first. He struck out looking in his first at-bat, grounded out in the fifth and flied out to right in the eighth. The Padres did put a shift on, with three infielders on the left side. According to Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Info, 16 of Bumgarner’s 20 grounders last year were pulled.

In the field: Panik made a running over-the-shoulder catch of a pop-up to right in the third. He would like another Gold Glove.

Attendance: The Padres had another sellout crowd at Petco, and there wasn’t a lot of orange. Maybe they’re taking advantage of the Chargers moving?

Up next: Save them, Johnny.

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