Giants Spoil Bumgarner's Return, Edge Diamondbacks 4-3

Though every divisional clash feels critical during a shortened, 60-game MLB regular season, Saturday's match-up may have been fueled by extra adrenaline, as San Francisco Giants' legend Madison Bumgarner returned to pitch at Oracle Park -- as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bumgarner made his MLB debut for San Francisco in September 2009, and in the decade that followed, became one of the most beloved athletes in the history of Bay Area sports. His most notable effort came in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, when he shocked the baseball world by pitching five scoreless innings in relief (only three days after his complete-game shutout in Game 5) to preserve a one-run lead and help the Giants clinch their third World Series trophy in five seasons.

While Saturday's match-up certainly featured lower stakes, San Francisco (firmly entangled in a postseason race) desperately needed to best their former ace and post a victory for the first time since their historic win on Tuesday evening. 

Poised to spoil Bumgarner's return to the Bay Area, Giants' manager Gabe Kapler stacked his line-up with seven right-handed hitters on Saturday, including the notable bat of Austin Slater, freshly removed from the IL.

Fortunately for Kapler, his managerial decision paid immediate dividends, as right-handers Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf launched back-to-back home runs in the second inning to claim a 2-1 lead for San Francisco.

Although Bumgarner exited after only four innings of work (delivering 72 pitches in his first start since August 9), the Giants' right-handed hitters continued to shine late into the night.

In the bottom of the sixth, Joey Bart and Mauricio Dubon connected on back-to-back RBI triples, increasing San Francisco's advantage to 4-1. With their all-important swings, the teammates not only created separation on the scoreboard, but made Giants' history, as Bart and Dubon became the only duo to hit their first career triples in consecutive at-bats since the team moved west in 1958.

Despite a late rally from Arizona (courtesy of a Daulton Varsho solo home run in the seventh and an Eduardo Escobar RBI single in the eighth), San Francisco clung to their one-run lead and emerged with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night.

Recording perhaps the most important out of the evening was Giants' reliever Sam Selman, who entered with two outs in the eighth inning to strike out Diamondbacks' DH Josh Rojas, stranding a pair of Arizona base runners at a pivotal moment in the game.

And in the ninth, Kapler and company called upon Tony Watson to slam the door.

The Giants (now 19-21) will do battle with the Diamondbacks once more on Sunday at 1:05 PM PST before wrapping up their four-game series on Monday evening.

Alexa, play "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz.

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