Madison Bumgarner picks up slack for weary bullpen in Giants' 5-2 win

SAN FRANCISCO - Madison Bumgarner left Oracle Park early Friday night to rest at home for his Saturday afternoon start. He watched the Giants and Rockies on TV until the 10th inning, then went to bed.

He woke up in the middle of the night and checked his phone for the final score. The game was still going, at that point in the 16th inning. Bumgarner tapped his wife and woke her up.

“Hey, they’re still playing,” he told her, realizing he’d have to shoulder a bigger load than normal on Saturday afternoon with the Giants’ bullpen depleted.

Bumgarner fell back asleep and woke up again at 4 a.m. to find a 3-2 final in favor of the Giants. He watched the video of Erik Kratz’ walk-off fielder’s choice, went back to sleep again and awoke in the morning to pitch on a full five days rest, yet without a win in his three starts this season.

Bumgarner, who told manager Bruce Bochy he had 140 pitches in him and vowed to go at least eight innings, threw seven innings while allowing two earned runs, six hits and striking out seven in the Giants’ 5-2 win over the Rockies at Oracle Park on Saturday afternoon.

“That wasn’t gonna happen,” Bochy said with a smirk regarding Bumgarner’s 140-pitch declaration. “But he was just sending a message, ‘Don’t come and get me.’

“Bum knew what we were looking at as far as the bullpen. He gave us a great effort there.”

It was a feat in itself that both teams showed up Saturday morning after Friday night’s five-hour, 35-minute, 18-inning marathon that carried into Saturday morning and stands as the longest Giants game since ?May 29, 2001.

The southpaw cruised through the Rockies’ anemic lineup for the first five innings, allowing no runs two hits and striking out five while the Giants (7-9), who entered Saturday 28th in the league with only 2.8 runs scored per game, matched their ?18-inning total from the game prior in the first five frames en route to a 3-0 lead.

Kevin Pillar logged a third-inning sacrifice fly, Buster Posey roped a third-inning RBI double down the right-field line and Pillar’s fifth-inning solo shot moved him into the team lead with four home runs this season.

Bumgarner threw seven innings his first start of the ?season, then six each in his last two outings, all three appearances Giants losses with Bumgarner responsible for two. After surrendering a run each in the sixth and seventh on Saturday, Bumgarner trotted out for the eighth. But after a Chris Ianetta leadoff double, Bochy motioned for reliever Reyes Moronta, and Bumgarner slammed his glove against his thigh in frustration.

“I don’t feel like I did enough. In my mind, eight was the minimum for a day like today,” Bumgarner said. “It worked out for us and we won the game, but that’s the one thing I don’t feel great about . Last night was tough on everybody.”

Moronta struck out Raimel Tapia swinging, then Charlie Blackmon swinging, then Garrett Hampson swinging, pounding his own glove coming off the mound, this time in elation instead of frustration. Bumgarner was the first player waiting at the bottom of the dugout steps when Moronta exited the field with his hopes of win No. 1 still intact.

The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth and back-to-back sacrifice flies from Gerardo Parra and Steven Duggar gave Sam Dyson plenty of cushion for the save, which he earned after a 1-2-3 ninth for the Giants’ third straight win.

The Giants will go for the four-game series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park against the Rockies when Derek Holland (1-1, 3.38 ERA) faces German Marquez (1-1, 3.00 ERA) on the mound.

The Rockies fell to 3-12.