Record: 53-62. Pace: 75-87. Change on 2021: +18.

A poor start from Madison Bumgarner plus missed opportunities early sunk the Diamondbacks in the first of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants. Bumgarner allowed six runs in his final three innings on the mound and the D-backs left eight runners on base, twice leaving the bases loaded. The loss is the D-backs’ eighteenth loss in their last twenty games at Oracle Park.

Coming off a series win against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field the D-backs had a chance to build some momentum, but the first inning set the tone for this game. Despite having four straight hitters reach safely against Giants starter Alex Cobb, Emmanuel Rivera was picked off first and Carson Kelly was rung up on a backdoor sinker to leave the bases loaded. A similar situation happened in the third, with Jake McCarthy caught looking at a splitter at the bottom of the knees with two runners on.

Those missed opportunities came to bite the D-backs. Bumgarner opened up the game with three scoreless innings, including retiring the first six hitters he faced. The Giants took the lead in the fourth, when J.D. Davis doubled into the left center field gap one batter before Evan Longoria crushed a 403-foot home run in the same direction. The Giants added on in the fifth, when Joey Bart doubled off the right field wall and scored on Austin Slater’s single. That put the D-backs down 3-0 after five innings.

Christian Walker, who walked in his other three trips to the plate, put the D-backs on the board with this massive home run to center field in the sixth.

Walker’s 28th home run of the season left the bat at 111 miles per hour and traveled 461 feet.

Jake McCarthy bunted on the next pitch and beat out Cobb’s throw to first to get the potential tying run to the plate. Carson Kelly ripped a line drive down the 3B line, but it was snared by Evan Longoria for a double play with McCarthy running on the pitch.

The good feelings from that inning quickly vanished as Bumgarner allowed three runs in the sixth. After a single and a walk, Thairo Estrada doubled to bring home the first run. Joey Bart crushed a missile off the left field wall for a 2-run single. After an 11-pitch at-bat to Luis Gonzalez, Bumgarner’s night was over. Kevin Ginkel came in and struck out Slater to finish the inning.

Bumgarner’s final line in tonight’s start was 5 ²⁄₃ innings, 8 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

The D-backs had a chance to hit their way back into the game in the seventh. An infield hit off Tyler Rogers, a hit batter, and a walk loaded the bases for Josh Rojas. Rojas was unable to take advantage as he whiffed on an Alex Young curveball. Christian Walker’s eighth inning walk was the only baserunner for the final two innings.

Fangraphs Win Probability Chart

Slam Dunk: Christian Walker +11.6%

Blocked: Madison Bumgarner -23.1%

The Game Day Thread had 133 comments, although none of them received enough recs to turn red.

Diamondbacks will send Merrill Kelly to the mound to try to even up the series tomorrow. First pitch at Oracle Park is at 6:45pm MST.