• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bumgarner takes the hill for Giants in D.C.

Aug 13, 2013 - 2:48 PM (Sports Network) - Madison Bumgarner found himself venting to reporters following his most recent outing, one that saw the hurler commit an error during an ill-fated eighth inning.

Bumgarner will try to let his pitching do the talking on Tuesday night when the San Francisco Giants begin a three-game series with the Washington Nationals.

The left-hander is coming off a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday as he carried a shutout into the seventh inning before getting charged with four runs in the eighth without recording an out. Three of the runs were earned as Bumgarner himself threw the ball away trying to get an out at third on a bunt play.

An infield hit earlier in the frame kept the Brewers' momentum going and Bumgarner allowed more than two earned runs in an outing for the first time in 10 starts. He also struck out just four after fanning 11 five days earlier in a win over Tampa Bay.

Afterwards, the 24-year-old agreed with a reporter that the club's concentration sometimes seem lacking.

"There's things I could have done different. There's things everyone could have done different. It's been the same story all year," he added.

A day later, manager Bruce Bochy said he would have preferred that Bumgarner be a little tighter with his words, but understood the circumstance.

"You're talking to a pitcher who just lost a really tough game," Bochy said on San Francisco's website. "Madison probably wishes he had talked to the (players) a little bit. When you catch a guy after a tough game like that, he might say something he might regret a little bit, because he's not the type to point fingers. We're a group that likes to take care of things internally."

Bumgarner is 11-7 with a 2.75 earned run average in 23 starts this season and did not factor into a May 22 outing at home versus the Nationals despite seven innings of one-run ball. He is 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in five lifetime meetings with Washington.

The Nationals won that meeting in 10 innings and Gio Gonzalez did not get a decision either despite allowing a run over 7 1/3 frames. He is 2-2 with a 2.87 ERA in six lifetime encounters with the Giants and rematches against Bumgarner tonight.

The lefty is winless in his last four appearances after winning four starts in a row from June 25-July 10. He lost for the first time since May 27 when he was tagged for 10 runs and 11 hits over 3 1/3 frames at Detroit on July 31.

Gonzalez was much sharper next time out on Tuesday at home versus Atlanta, giving up two runs over seven innings but losing a 2-1 decision. The 27-year- old dipped to 7-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 23 starts this year.

Even with a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, the Nats are 14 games back of first place in the NL East and must now focus on the wild card race, a race they trail the Cincinnati Reds in by 8 1/2 games for the second extra playoff berth.

The Nats offense has gotten a boost from catcher Wilson Ramos and outfielder Jayson Werth, who is batting .443 with nine homers and 23 RBI since July 4.

Ramos is hitting .316 over that same span with five home runs and 21 RBI.

The Giants, meanwhile, sit last in the NL West and have lost six of nine and 14 of the past 21 games. They dropped the rubber match of a three-game set with Baltimore 10-2 on Sunday and have not scored more than four runs in 11 games this month.

San Francisco won two of three over Washington at home in late May, but has lost five straight at Nationals Park.