• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Giants give ball to Bumgarner to begin set with Brewers

May 21, 2012 - 3:12 PM (Sports Network) - San Francisco Giants right-handers Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum have a combined five wins this season. Madison Bumgarner leads the staff with that many on his own and will try to make it six tonight in the opener of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

The Giants will also visit Miami for four games on the upcoming road trip and hope Bumgarner can snap a personal two-game slide in Brew City. Bumgarner had won five straight trips to the mound before losing to both Arizona and St. Louis, falling to 5-3 on the season in eight starts with a 3.10 ERA.

Bumgarner was reached for four runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals last Wednesday. He struck out three batters and did not walk a batter for the first time this season. Bumgarner defeated Milwaukee at home in a 5-2 win on May 5 this season and gave up only one run through seven innings of work and struck out five batters. The southpaw is 3-1 with a sparkling 1.27 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers.

San Francisco had a three-game winning streak stopped in Sunday's 6-2 loss versus the Oakland Athletics and failed to post the sweep. Lincecum, a two- time NL Cy Young Award winner, dropped to 2-4 on the season after he allowed four runs and five hits in four innings of work. Lincecum was also bowled over in a collision at the plate with Collin Cowgill.

"I just hyperextended my thumb in my catching hand, nothing bad," Lincecum said of the collision at home. "Just rattled a little bit on the collision there, but nothing bad."

Melky Cabrera went 4-for-4 for the Giants, who had won six of eight games and sit second in the NL West standings -- seven games behind the LA Dodgers.

The Brewers, meanwhile, will continue a six-game homestand and were able to put the brakes on a four-game losing streak with Sunday's 16-4 drubbing of Minnesota in the finale of a three-game series.

Jonathan Lucroy added two homers, including a grand slam, and finished with seven runs batted in and three runs scored, while Corey Hart went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Nyjer Morgan also scored three times and Ryan Braun chipped in three hits and four RBI for Milwaukee, which entered the game with just one win in seven tries.

"The more experience you have, the more it helps you out," said Lucroy. "I feel more comfortable this year because I'm more familiar with the pitchers. That's the thing for me is just being more comfortable."

Randy Wolf hasn't appeared comfortable in his most recent starts and will get the ball tonight for Milwaukee. Wolf is 0-2 in his past three outings and lasted a season-low four innings in last Wednesday's 8-3 loss at Houston, as he surrendered seven runs -- six earned -- and seven hits to fall to 2-4 in eight starts this season with a 6.39 ERA.

Wolf lost to the Giants by the bay on May 5 this season, as he was reached for four runs and nine hits in six innings of a 5-2 loss. He is 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 21 career starts against San Francisco.

The Brewers dropped two of three to the Giants from May 4-6.