April showers have turned into May flowers for Madison Bumgarner's velocity.
The Giants' ace is starting to look like himself again, as he displayed in a 14-4 win over the Rockies on Tuesday. Bumgarner's fastball has averaged 92 miles per hour in two starts this month. He topped out at 93.4 mph against the Dodgers last week and hit 93 mph five times in the thin Coors Field air.
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What's the big change? Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow believes Bumgarner has finally found his mechanics again.
“That crack of the whip gives you maybe another mile-per-hour on your fastball, but the most important thing is it gives you finish, it gives you late movement and that’s always been what Bumgarner’s all about," Krukow said Wednesday on KNBR.
At this point in his career, Bumgarner is relying more on movement than overpowering batters. Even when he was off this year, the left-hander was producing high spin rates.
"It’s the best he’s been in the past two years, and that’s such a great sign for this club," Krukow said.
San Francisco Giants
Bumgarner is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in May after going 1-4 with a 4.30 ERA through his first six starts. He averaged 5.8 strikeouts in those first six outings but has struck out eight in each of his two starts this month.
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The Giants go as Bumgarner goes. Whether it's to compete right now, improve his trade value or prove he's worthy of a hefty contract extension, all parties must be pleased with his recent form.