D-backs’ Madison Bumgarner stays hot with dismantling of Marlins

PHOENIX — They say good pitching is contagious and that couldn’t be more true following back-to-back gems from both Madison Bumgarner and Luke Weaver.

Bumgarner was electric in the team’s 6-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. The starter has picked up a victory in four of his last five outings and now sits 4-2.

“I think today Bum set the tone for us,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We scored some runs early and then he just got into an unbelievable groove. Gave us seven shutout innings and just was pounding the zone with an assortment of pitches.

“The stuff was crisp and had finish to it and the shape of all his pitches were very, very good. Once again gives us another quality outing and something to build off of and it’s just great to see him on this run.”

Bumgarner gave Miami fits throughout the night, allowing just four hits and striking out a season-high nine batters over 7.0 innings of work (84 pitches/62 strikes). His strikeout total marked the most in a single game for the starter as a D-back.

Much like Weaver’s outing on Monday, Arizona’s offense was quick to lend a helping hand, with Bumgarner tossing just one frame before shortstop Nick Ahmed changed up the scoreboard with a second-inning solo shot to the left field stands.

With a lead already in hand, Bumgarner got after it.

After a scoreless first, Bumgarner followed suit in the second and third innings, kicking each off with a pair of strikeouts. Despite the Marlins recording a double in two of the first three frames, they did little to deter Bumgarner’s momentum.

He continued to pound the strike zone in the fourth and fifth with little to no error, making a 1-0 lead look insurmountable.

“I definitely can [pinpoint the key factor in the turnaround], but I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus,” Bumgarner said when asked what has changed over his last five starts. “I’m going to keep that to myself, but there was definitely [a factor].”

And if there was any chance for the Marlins to make a game out of things, the D-backs slammed the door with authority with an explosive fifth inning.

After an Ahmed walk, outfielder Josh Rojas moved over the shortstop to third off of single, providing a prime opportunity for Bumgarner to help out his own cause with no outs showing.

And that he did.

While his shot to left field didn’t have the legs to go the distance, the sacrifice fly was enough to bring in Ahmed and make it 2-0 in favor of Arizona.

Following Bumgarner’s lead, outfielder Pavin Smith padded Arizona’s lead with an RBI single just four pitches later.

Catcher Carson Kelly kept things rolling with a walk before third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera loaded up the bases with a single of his own.

Cabrera’s hit would spell the end for Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, but the D-backs’ scoring was far from over with outfielder David Peralta up to bat. Needing just three pitches to make his presence felt, Peralta busted the game open with a two-run double.

Second baseman Eduardo Escobar would extend the lead to 6-0 with an RBI single before the Marlins were able to record the final out of the inning.

The damage had already been done, however, as Bumgarner continued his mastery of the Marlins, retiring the final six batters he faced over the course of the next two innings.

With Tuesday night’s performance, Bumgarner now has a 0.47 WHIP over his last 5 starts. Per Stats by Stats, That marks the lowest WHIP for an NL pitcher over five starts in a season since Pete Alexander put up a 0.42 WHIP over a five-start span in 1915.

Madison Bumgarner of the @Dbacks has a 0.47 WHIP over his last 5 starts including tonight.

That's the lowest WHIP by an NL pitcher over a 5-start span in a season since Hall of Famer Pete Alexander had a 0.42 WHIP over 5 starts in 1915.

— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) May 12, 2021

While it may be Bumgarner’s best stretch of games as a Diamondback, the starter will be the first to tell he isn’t focusing on his comfort level despite his recent successes.

“I really try to take stuff one day at a time and stay in today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. … I try to take everything, not just baseball, but everything one day at a time,” Bumgarner said.

But just because Bumgarner’s night was over with, that didn’t mean the offense was ready to call it a night.

After the Marlins finally broke through with three runs off of reliever Kevin Ginkel to make things interesting at 6-3 in the eighth inning, the D-backs answered back with their second five-run frame of the night.

Rojas began the offensive onslaught with a one-out triple before pinch-hitter Josh VanMeter brought him home with an RBI double. Smith moved VanMeter over to third with a single, setting up Kelly. The catcher turned on the third offering, extending the lead to 8-3 with an RBI double.

That paved the way for Cabrera to put a finishing move on Miami, taking the third pitch of his at-bat into the right field stands for a three-run homer. Cabrera led the team with four hits and three RBIs. Peralta also chipped in two ribbies.

“It was an incredible day for us. Asdrubal has four hits, a home run, just was slugging the baseball all day today,” Lovullo said. “Nick Ahmed with his first home run, which for me has been a long time coming. He’s been working his butt off for that moment. It was nice to see him get those positive results.

“And then all sorts of guys chipping in in different ways, whether we’re drawing a walk and getting on base or we’re finding another way on base and then slugging with men on. It just resulted in some big runs. I think the one thing that stood out to me today is the Marlins closed the gap to 6-3 and it got a little tense there and then we went out and scored five runs in response to that.”

Pitcher Caleb Smith took the D-backs the rest of the way in the ninth as Arizona secured its second straight victory in as many nights.

The D-backs will look to make it three wins in a row Wednesday night against the Marlins.

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