4 years agoWhen the Arizona Diamondbacks inked left-hander Madison Bumgarner to an $85 million deal during the off-season, the expectation was that he would anchor the starting staff. Through his first three games, Bumgarner has been hit, and hit hard, posting a 7.55 xERA, with a .630 xSLG that puts him in the bottom eight percent of pitchers in the Majors. The sample size is small, but the 1.83 K/BB ratio that he has produced would be far and away the worst mark of his career. But maybe most pressing is the fact that the four-seam fastball that averaged 91.4 MPH in 2019 has nosedived down to 87.9 MPH this year. Bumgarner’s track record buys him considerable leeway, with his next start coming Sunday at pitcher-friendly Petco Park, where he owns a career 3.99 ERA.--Jesse Borek
Source: MLB