Bumgarner hits, pitches Giants past Padres

Left-hander Madison Bumgarner threw eight scoreless innings and drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to decide a pitching duel with Tyson Ross as the San Francisco Giants defeated the visiting San Diego Padres 3-0 on Thursday.

Bumgarner (1-2) was making his fourth start since returning from the disabled list June 5. He had been out since spring training with a fracture to the little finger on his pitching hand.

Bumgarner struck out three while allowing three hits and two walks (one intentional). Two of the hits were doubles in the third and fifth innings by Manuel Margot.

Mark Melancon allowed a hit in the ninth to complete the shutout. He picked up his first save of the season in the absence of closer Hunter Strickland, who went on the disabled list earlier in the week after breaking his hand while punching a door.

The Giants snapped a scoreless tie in the fifth against Ross (5-5), who allowed one run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts over seven innings.

Pablo Sandoval opened the inning with a single to center and moved to third on Joe Panik's double into the right field corner. After Sandoval was forced to hold at third on Gorkys Hernandez's sharp grounder to short, Bumgarner lifted a 3-1 pitch from Ross to medium-deep left to score Sandoval.

The Giants added two runs in the eighth against reliever Phil Maton. Alen Hanson opened the inning with a triple and scored on Buster Posey's single. After Andrew McCutchen drew a walk, Jose Castillo replaced Maton and looked to be out of the inning when second baseman Jose Pirela, who earlier made a baserunning blunder, dropped a popup in short right for a run-scoring error.

The Padres' best opportunity came in the fifth when Pirela opened the inning with a single. After Freddy Galvis flied out to left, Margot lined a double off the wall in right. McCutchen played the carom perfectly and threw a strike to second baseman Panik as Pirela ran through the stop sign of Padres third base coach Glenn Hoffman and was easily out at the plate.

Panik had two doubles to lead the Giants' six-hit attack.

--Field Level Media