D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
The most prized arm in the Giants universe — and perhaps on the trade market, too — seems to be OK.
Madison Bumgarner will pitch Saturday, he told reporters at Miller Park on Friday, before the Giants and Brewers began the second half of their seasons.
That means the plan is on schedule, after Bumgarner told reporters he threw twice at his North Carolina home over the All-Star break. The Giants’ ace had been drilled just above his left, throwing elbow by a comebacker on Saturday, eventually getting pulled from the game as the welt ballooned. But while he wore a protective sleeve during batting practice Friday, the bruise reportedly had shrunk.
If Bumgarner can take the mound with a clean bill of health and be effective, it would be key for a team that will shop him by the July 31 deadline. The Giants want his value to be on display, which is evidenced even by their pitching order. Shaun Anderson is starting Friday, meaning he is on track to pitch Wednesday in Colorado. That means Bumgarner is scheduled to miss the Coors Field series and instead face the Mets at Oracle Park.