Giants vs. Tigers, World Series Game 2: Madison Bumgarner hoping for rebound

The San Francisco Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the mound against the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the World Series for a shot at redemption after a lackluster second half and brutal postseason.

Thursday night will be Bumgarner's first start since Game 1 of the NLCS. That was a disappointing outing that saw the left hander get shelled for six runs in 3⅔ innings. It's been a rough postseason for Bumgarner, as he's posted an 0-2 record with a bloated 11.25 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting .385 against him.

Why the struggles from a talented young pitcher who was several baseball writers' preseason NL Cy Young pick? Mechanics? Fatigue? Both?

Wednesday, Bumgarner told Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News that he might have fixed a slight mechanical flaw that contributed to fatigue and control issues:

"I think we got it fixed. There's no way to tell 100 percent until you get going (at) game speed. But hopefully that's all it was."

The Giants are hopeful too, as Game 2 win would be crucial as the World Series heads to Detroit for Game 3 on Saturday.

First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 5:07 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on FOX.