PHOENIX–After announcing right-hander Johnny Cueto would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on the first of the month, the Giants thought they had nowhere to go but up in August.
They were wrong.
Hours before the Giants blasted the D’backs 8-1, manager Bruce Bochy announced Pablo Sandoval’s hamstring injury was more severe than the club anticipated. Sandoval tore his right hamstring Sunday and like Cueto, will require surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the year.
With the news of Cueto and Sandoval’s injuries in the rearview mirror, it was up to Madison Bumgarner to step on the gas pedal and lead the Giants past a club that began the day tied for the National League West lead.