Bumgarner dominates on mound, with bat against Nationals

[August 17, 2015]  SAN FRANCISCO -- Left-hander Madison Bumgarner contributed a double and a home run to his 14th victory of the season Sunday, hitting and pitching the San Francisco Giants to a 5-0 win over the reeling Washington Nationals that completed a four-game sweep.

In completing a 5-1 homestand, the Giants wrapped up a 4-3 season-series victory over the Nationals despite having gotten swept in a three-game series in Washington in July.

The loss dropped the Nationals (58-59) under .500 for the first time since May 6. They opened a 10-game trip with six losses in seven games.

Bumgarner dominated the Nationals on the mound, shutting them out on three hits -- a fifth-inning single by shortstop Ian Desmond, a broken-bat single by catcher Wilson Ramos in the eighth inning and a one-out single by second baseman Anthony Rendon in the ninth.

It was the fourth shutout of the 2014 World Series Most Valuable Player's career.

In winning for the sixth time in his last seven decisions, Bumgarner (14-6) walked one and struck out a career-best-tying struck out 14, the fifth double-digit effort of the season and 24th of his career.

Bumgarner's previous 14-strikeout game also came this season, June 23 against the San Diego Padres.

The complete game was his second in a row, third this season and ninth of his career.

The Giants got all the runs they would need in a three-run uprising against Nationals starter Joe Ross in the fourth inning. Then Bumgarner basically single-handedly did the rest offensively himself.

His hit-and-run RBI double in the fifth inning scored second baseman Kelby Tomlinson, who had singled, to increase the Giants' lead to 4-0.

Bumgarner then capped the scoring in the seventh with a solo homer against Nationals reliever Casey Janssen. It was the 2014 Silver Slugger Award winner's fourth homer of the season and 10th of his career.

Right fielder Hunter Pence also had a homer, a two-run shot that was his ninth of the season, as part of the Giants' fourth-inning uprising.

First baseman Brandon Belt doubled in center fielder Gregor Blanco, who had walked, to open the scoring earlier in the inning.

Blanco finished the game with a hit and two walks in his four plate appearances.

The Nationals' Ross (3-5) failed to get out of the fifth inning. He allowed six hits, four of which went for extra bases, and four runs in four-plus innings. He walked one and struck out six.

The Giants out-hit the Nationals 7-3.

NOTES: Nationals CF Denard Span (sore lower back) was scheduled to begin an injury-rehab stint at Class A Potomac on Sunday night. Span hasn't played since July 9. The Nationals began Sunday 35-24 with Span in the lineup and 23-34 without. ... After taking Monday off, the Nationals complete a 10-game trip with a three-game series at Colorado beginning Tuesday. ... Giants CF Angel Pagan (patella tendinitis in right knee) and 2B Joe Panik (inflammation in lower back) will go to Arizona for physical therapy while the club visits St. Louis and Pittsburgh this week. ... The matchups against the Cardinals and Pirates continue a stretch in which the Giants play 26 consecutive games against teams currently .500 or better. The Giants began play Sunday having gone 4-5 in the first nine games of the sequence.

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.