SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Madison Bumgarner admits at times he wondered whether he would make a complete recovery from injuries sustained in a dirt biking accident.
He looked like his old self against the Chicago Cubs.
Bumgarner allowed four hits over seven innings to win for the second time since returning from the disabled list, helping the San Francisco Giants defeat the Cubs 3-1 Wednesday and complete a winning homestand for only the second time this season.
“Obviously there’s going to be some times when doubt creeps in,” Bumgarner said. “It’s just like anything else, you’ve got to deal with it. You can’t try to push it aside, you can’t try to trick yourself, you just try to deal with it.”
Bumgarner (2-5) struck out seven, walked one and gave up five hits — including a third-inning home run by Albert Almora Jr. Bumgarner is 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA in five starts since returning July 12 after missing nearly three months because of injuries sustained April 20. Since beating Pittsburgh on July 25, he did not get a decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers and lost to Arizona.
The 2014 World Series MVP has a 1.38 ERA in his last four starts and has received two runs or fewer of support in seven of 10 starts this year.
“I just think he’s shown what he’s really about with the way he’s thrown the ball because we know how good he is, but still, that was a pretty serious injury that he had to overcome,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Hunter Strickland pitched a one-hit eighth and Sam Dyson completed the six-hitter with a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
San Francisco won two of three against the NL Central-leading Cubs and has won consecutive home series for the first time since May. The Giants went 5-3 on a homestand that included a two-game split against Oakland and two wins in three games against Arizona. The Giants went 5-2 against Cincinnati and the Dodgers from May 11-17.
Joe Panik hit an RBI single in the second, Jarrett Parker had a tiebreaking single in the seventh against Brian Duensing (0-1) and Hunter Pence hit an opposite-field homer to right-center in the eighth against Pedro Strop.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks gave up one run, five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
“I had a good fastball in the first inning and it started to come back late, in the middle it was all over the place, I just had to battle. I had no fastball command,” Hendricks said.