San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner's True Colors Not Seen in His Record

Despite his winless record, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is off to a great start.

For the San Francisco Giants, a number more blaring than their club's miserable standing in the NL West is Madison Bumgarner's 0-2 record to start the season. Yet, don't be fooled by his winless record because Bumgarner is off to one of his better starts this season.

"I think he's been in a mechanical groove to start the season and I don't think we've ever seen him this good at the start of a season," Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said (per knbr.com).

After three quality starts, Bumgarner's 3.43 ERA is the third lowest compared to his first three starts from past seasons. Furthermore, he has struck out 24 batters in his first 21 innings.

While Bumgarner has done nearly everything he can to bring his team a victory, much of his efforts are unrewarded by a silenced offense. Thus far, the Giants have scored only four runs with Bumgarner on the mound, two of which he provided for himself on Opening Day.

"It's the nature of the game," Krukow said. "So many intangibles have to happen that support your effort, and the first thing is you have to have runs scored for you."

The same problem impacted Bumgarner in 2016, where he finished 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA. Although Bumgarner pitched with 4.8 runs of support last season, five of his nine losses came from one-run games. Those losses could have held Bumgarner back from a 20-win season and potentially the Cy Young Award.