When Madison Bumgarner went down with his injury in mid-April, it sent a ripple effect throughout the Giants highly prized rotation. And while it’s no doubt the Giants miss their ace, who they placed in as a temporary fix could hardly be shaping up better.
Enter Ty Blach, who first established himself at AT&T last October, where he notched eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball in a must win game for the Giants over the Dodgers. While his role in April was mostly relief, and he admittedly struggled during his first few games post-Bum injury, Blach is 2-0 in his last three starts including Monday’s 6-4 win over the Cubs. In his three previous starts, he spanned at least seven innings and has a combined ERA of 2.57.
Duane Kuiper joined The Murph and Mac Show Tuesday morning where he explained why Ty Blach has been so successful in his Bumgarner-replacement role.
“He’s kind of like what you saw in the 70’s and the 80’s, where not that many teams had guys who threw 95 or 96,” Kuiper said. “Now everybody’s got it. He’s kind of an old-timer they way he pitches, and he’s really fun to watch because he’s not afraid and he works fast. If you’re not afraid and you work fast, I think that’s just about what you would say about Kirk Reuter.
“He does all the little things that are going to help you, and you need to do those things if you don’t throw it 95, 96. He’s a big hat. You know, if there’s anything about the injury to Bumgarner that is beneficial it’s the fact that Ty Blach is going to get a lot of starts in his absence, and the Giants are going to find out what they got. So far, they like what they got.”
Listen to the full podcast below. To hear Kuiper on Blach, skip to 2:55.