Game Wrap 4/2/2017: D'Backs 6 Giants 5

Well, I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.  What started out as a day for Madison Bumgarner turned into a nightmare loss as the Giants blew 3 leads and not 1, but 2 Saves to lose the opener in Arizona.  Key Lines:

Eduardo Nunez 3B- 3 for 4, 2B, 2 SB(2).  BA= .750.  After a quiet pre-season in which he nursed a sore shoulder, Nunez came ready to play using his hitting and speed to score the first run of the game and drive in another later..

Joe Panik 2B- 1  for 3, 3B, SF.  BA= .333.  Hitting out of the 8-hole is easier when  Bumgarner is hitting 9'th,  but Panik did his job here driving in the first run with a SF and scoring what should have  been the winning run in the ninth after hitting a triple off the CF wall.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 2 for 2, 2 HR(2), BB.  BA= 1.000.  Bumgarner became the first pitcher in MLB history to hit 2 dingers on Opening Day and he got all of both of them.  The first one was a lightning bolt line drive to left-center that left the bat at 112.5 MPH.  I don't have the MPH on the second blast, but he squared it up and got full extension on his arms and enormous leverage with the bat head.

Madison Bumgarner LHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 11 H.  ERA= 3.86. Bumgarner did not allow a baserunner until hitting a hiccup in the 6'th inning. You probably have to chalk this one up to the ballpark and carry and a cement-hard IF definitely contributed to the D'Backs 3-run inning.  Otherwise, it was a totally dominant performance.

Derek Law RHP- 0.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  ERA= Inf.  Law was a curious choice for the 8'th inning as George Kontos was the most dominant Giants reliever by the end of spring training.

Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 27.00.  Oh boy!  When you pay $60 M for a closer, you have the right to expect they will, you know, close the game.  Melancon seemed to be a bit off from the beginning, but got 2 quick outs.  Then Jeff Mathis, of all people, doubled up the alley in left-center.  Gorkys Hernandez barely got to it and kicked it to Denard Span and Mathis was held to a double but the bleeding never stopped.  3 hits later and the it was deja vu all over again.

Bruce Bochy Manager- A couple of head scratching decisions by Boch:  1.  The aforementioned decision to use Derek Law as his 8'th inning guy.  I know a lot of readers love Derek Law and I like him a lot too, but he is not ready to be the 8'th inning guy, IMO.  Bochy was then forced to use the only lefty in the game and the only reliever capable of going multiple innings, to get 1 out.  2.  I get why Bochy pinch-hit for Jarrett Parker with a lefty on the mound and runners on base, but why did he send Gorkys Hernandez up there when he could have used Chris Marrero or Aaron Hill and then subbed in Hernandez on defense?

***********************************************************************************The Giants now gets 48 hours to think about what happened today, then send Johnny Cueto out to face LHP Patrick Corbin on Tuesday night.