The San Francisco Giants find themselves on an impressive win streak, and whether or not that seems too-little, too-late at this point doesn't really matter ... just that they continue to win and not roll over. Ryan Vogelsong had a strong outing, supported by Pablo Sandoval and his impressive cycle in game one against the Colorado Rockies, and Madison Bumgarner will be looking to replicate that.
It's probably hard to hope that one of your guys will hit for the cycle to support you, though. Sandoval started off the cycle with a home-run in the first, and followed that by a single in the second, a double in the fifth, and a triple when Carlos Gonzalez misplayed a fly ball. Still, Bumgarner's stuff has been impressive in his last four outings, and looking at what could possibly be his last start this season, he's shooting for a career-high five straight wins.
His last outing was on September 11th, giving up one run off of three hits in five innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers, while striking out eight in that time. He's 11-12 on the season with a 3.33 earned run average, but has a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts, striking out 34 and posting a 0.94 WHIP over 27 2/3 innings. Since the All-Star break, he's arguably been the Giants best pitcher, with a 7-3 mark.
Alex White will be taking the mound for the Rockies, and despite the fact that he's got a 3-1 record, he's really been struggling. In just four games with the Rockies since being acquired mid-season, he's got an 8.18 ERA, giving up nine home runs in that time. Nine home runs in just four starts ... so the Giants definitely have a chance at regaining some of that NL West ground for at least another game, providing the Arizona Diamondbacks lose again.
Still, White hasn't been all-that bad, but there's little good to reflect on. The good is that the Rockies offense always seems to go alive when he's on the mound for whatever reason, so Bumgarner needs to be on notice. At the very least, it looks like Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton won't be playing again, as they're both still suffering from injuries.