D-backs’ Madison Bumgarner pitches well in 3rd start of spring training

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Madison Bumgarner’s third outing of Arizona Diamondbacks spring training on Monday marked a return to form.

He struggled in his last outing, allowing five runs (four earned) on 47 pitches in 2.2 innings. But on Monday, he pitched into the fourth inning, going 3.2 innings on 73 pitches, three hits, no runs, a walk and four strikeouts. His fastball was often around 90 miles per hour.

“It felt good. I kind of went about it in a little bit different way, tried to really mix it up a lot today,” Bumgarner said. “We may have, but really trying not to double up on anything. Just keep moving the ball around and trying to force myself to make a completely different pitch on the next one to kind of see where everything was at. And I was pretty happy with it.

“I thought it went really good, actually. Got to get up and down four times and felt like I moved the ball around, threw some important pitches in some important counts, I thought, and worked on a different pickoff play, too.”

Counting in intervals of five games, Bumgarner is right in line to pitch on Opening Day, to little surprise. He would have two more starts between now and then.

“I feel pretty good about it, where I’m at,” Bumgarner said. “Probably going to start sharpening it up even more the closer we get.”

Manager Torey Lovullo said he’s still shaping what his expectations should be of Bumgarner as spring goes on.

“I don’t know him well enough. I just get some instant feedback from him to find out what he’s thinking and what he’s feeling about the outing,” Lovullo said. “What I’m discovering is he’s extremely intense, no matter what he’s doing when he’s between the white lines. And I’m figuring out what he looks like, what he acts like when he’s doing something well and when he’s not. He doesn’t show a lot. It’s hard.

“But I can tell, when he’s coming to the dugout, I can hear what he’s saying and I’m learning about him piece by piece. I feel like right now, that’s my job. I’ve got to find out what makes him tick, and I need to figure out how to fit into him when I need to get my points across or say things to him.”

ALEX YOUNG STRUGGLES

Pitcher Alex Young entered the game after Bumgarner and Andrew Chafin each pitched. Young gave up a home run to Ryan O’Hearn in a five-pitch at bat before giving up a triple to the next batter, Kelvin Gutierrez. Two innings later, Gutierrez got Young for a home run.

In the ninth, Young gave up an inside-the-park home run.

“Alex Young, I thought from time to time was getting into a good rhythm but then would make some mistakes,” Lovullo said. “I don’t know if it was his cutter that was flat or the fastball-changeup combination that was flat up out over the plate, I haven’t seen some of the data. It looked like he made some mistakes and he paid for it.”

Young finished with 3.1 innings pitched, seven hits (five for extra bases) three earned runs, a walk and two strikeouts. He tossed 56 pitches, 38 for strikes.

“It doesn’t raise a huge red flag for me,” Lovullo said. “The thing that would have is if he was starting to pick at the zone and was walking batters and was backing off of the challenge, and I never see that from him, nor did I see it today. And those are always the key things I’m looking for.

“You know, the shape and the delivery of the pitches wasn’t, I’m sure, as good as he wanted it to be. So once I look at it, I’ll see where the mistakes were made.”

EXTRA BASES

— Manager Torey Lovullo wouldn’t say for sure one way or the other whether pitcher Mike Leake (wrist) would be ready to pitch in the first time through the rotation when the regular season starts. He is slated to pitch following Robbie Ray in a backfield game at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. Archie Bradley, Hector Rondon and Kevin Ginkel will also pitch in that game.

— Outfielder Kole Calhoun hit an opposite-field home run to right center, his second home run of the spring. It came off of pitcher Mike Montgomery.

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