Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo sympathizes with Madison Bumgarner after a tough short season that the pandemic disrupted.
"We watched Bum have a frustrating year numbers-wise," Lovullo said when asked about his star pitcher's struggles, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. "I'm sure those who were there every day saw his frustration. You've got to remember, he threw some pretty good games despite not being at his competitive best.
"Why wasn't he at his competitive best? I think we can all come up with some ideas. Maybe it was the start-stop-reload shortened-and-condensed spring training 2.0 and then being thrust into the start on Opening Day."
Bumgarner, who signed a five-year, $85-million deal with Arizona in December 2019, posted a 6.48 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and a career-low 6.5 K/9 across nine starts.
"His stuff never really took off the way he wanted it to, by his own admission, but he would grind out games," Lovullo added.
Bumgarner, 31, owns a career 3.20 ERA over 12 years in the majors. The four-time All-Star played a key role on three World Series-winning teams while with the San Francisco Giants, including an MVP performance during the 2014 Fall Classic.
