SAN FRANCISCO — When asked if he could think of a better 1-2 punch in any starting rotation he’s managed, Bruce Bochy struggled to look past Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto. Both have pitched like aces, and played major roles in the Giants banking more wins than any other team in baseball.
“I think when you look at what we’ve gotten from those top two guys,” Bochy said, “this is as good as we’ve had.”
At the forefront of Bochy’s mind was Bumgarner and Cueto’s workloads. They’ve lifted significant stress off a bullpen that’s handed back more leads than almost any team in baseball. On average, Cueto’s lasted one out into the eighth inning in his 18 starts, and Bumgarner’s averaged about 6 2/3 innings per start.
That’s why Bochy, despite the option to shuffle his starting rotation in the second half, is inclined to keep Bumgarner and Cueto back-to-back. That could change depending on Cueto’s usage in the All-Star Game, and Bochy referred to him as the “frontrunner” to start for the National League. But he wants to keep his inning-eaters together, somewhere in the rotation.
After making his Saturday afternoon start against the Diamondbacks, Jake Peavy should have at least five days of rest before he’s scheduled to make his next start. And that’s only if he starts the first game of the second half in San Diego. Bochy spoke at length about his starting rotation, including the addition of Matt Cain.
The right-hander threw 73 pitches for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, and will start next Friday for Single-A San Jose in his final rehab start. Bochy said Cain will rejoin the Giants in Boston, and likely pitch during the two-game series on July 19-20.
As for the Giants’ other injured players, Bochy said it’s going to be a close call whether Matt Duffy, Joe Panik or Kelby Tomlinson will join the team in San Diego after the All-Star break. Duffy’s (left Achilles strain) been a bit sore, and didn’t take batting practice on Friday. Panik’s (concussion) doing “a lot better,” according to Bochy, and the second baseman said yesterday that if he was working a desk job, he’d be back already. Rapid head movements are still a bit of a challenge for him, so Panik acknowledged hitting will be a tricky obstacle to overcome.
Tomlinson (left thumb sprain) is doing well, and I’d guess that he’s the likeliest candidate to be ready out of the All-Star break.
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Bochy was surprised to see MLB announce Bartolo Colon as the All-Star replacement for Bumgarner. The Giants left-hander is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, but because it wasn’t an official move or announcement, Bochy was taken aback to see Bumgarner already deemed ineligible for the team. The skipper laughed when suggested that he should pitch Bumgarner on Saturday. Stay tuned.