ST. LOUIS -- It's been a hot-and-cold season for southpaw Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. He opened September giving up a flurry of runs in a pair of starts, and the runs have been sparse for an offense that saw first baseman Brandon Belt undergo season-ending knee surgery Friday morning prior to the Giants' 5-3 loss that evening to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The lefty didn't deliver an ace performance, but he kept the Giants within striking distance, allowing three runs in six innings off eight hits. That wasn't enough, and the Giants lost for the 13th time in 15 games with the final blow arriving when pinch-hitter Matt Adams delivered the winning runs on a double off reliever Tony Watson in the eighth.