It was another tough outing for Diamondbacks lefty Madison Bumgarner (6-15), who gave up five runs over five innings.
The struggles raise questions about Bumgarner’s future, both this season and in the coming years. The Diamondbacks’ position in the standings buys them time in the near term: With nothing much on the line, they can continue to give him the ball and hope he finds answers. And, from the sound of it, that is just what they plan to do.
Complicating the situation is his contractual status; he has two years and $37 million remaining on the five-year, $85 million deal the club gave him prior to the 2020 season. Bumgarner posted a 6.48 ERA over nine starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He had a 4.67 ERA in 26 starts last year. Through 29 starts this year, he has a 5.01 ERA.
“Maybe I should stop ,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s a very frustrating game sometimes. I’ve thrown much worse games this year and had far better results. It’s tough to understand sometimes.”