SAN DIEGO — A handful of rookies and a journeyman pitcher carried the rebuilding San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory over Madison Bumgarner and the struggling San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Rookie Manuel Margot doubled twice off Bumgarner and Jhoulys Chacin and two relievers held San Francisco to five hits in dealing the Giants their fourth straight loss.
Margot stayed hot a night after hitting his first two big league home runs in a home-opening win against the Giants. He hustled for a double on a grounder to left leading off the first and scored on rookie Hunter Renfroe’s double. Margot doubled with one out in the second to bring in rookie Allen Cordoba, who hit a leadoff single to left for his first big league hit.
Chacin (1-1) rebounded nicely from being roughed up in a 14-3 loss to the Dodgers on opening day. He kept the Giants off-balance while striking out five and walking one.
In his previous start, Chacin allowed a career-high nine runs and eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings at Dodger Stadium.
“I’m really happy,” said Chacin, who’s with his fifth big league club. “I know what I can do. The last game, I wasn’t making good pitches. When I have good command of the fastball, the breaking balls are better. To beat Bumgarner, you can’t make mistakes.”
Manager Andy Green said Chacin’s mix of pitches “was outstanding, his fastball with the slider, and he’s comfortable with his curve command.”
Chacin allowed a bloop double to Brandon Belt in the first, a single by Joe Panik that caromed off the glove of first baseman Wil Myers in the fifth and a fly ball by Eduardo Nunez that glanced off the glove of right fielder Renfroe and was a ruled a double in the seventh. That chased Chacin, and Brad Hand came on and retired Panik to get out of the inning.
Ryan Buchter pitched the ninth for the save. He allowed Buster Posey’s two-out single and Brandon Crawford’s RBI single before getting Nunez to fly out.
BUMMER FOR MADBUM
Bumgarner (0-1) went the distance, allowing two runs and six hits in eight innings, struck out five and walked two.
“I’m having trouble getting it going, I guess,” Bumgarner said. “I didn’t start the way I wanted to, crisp and sharp. So I was battling there. Really it was a battle the whole game.”
Bumgarner threw his 15th career complete game. It’s the sixth time he’s been pinned with a loss when going the distance. He tossed four complete games last season and twice was the losing pitcher.
BIG JUMP
Cordoba, 21, made his first big league start, at shortstop. He’s one of three players obtained in the December draft on San Diego’s 25-man roster. He was with Rookie Level Johnson City last year.
“That was fun,” Green said. “I looked up on the scoreboard and they had his Appalachian League stats.”
UPTON UPDATE
General manager Bobby Evans said the Giants are “in discussion” with Melvin Upton Jr. and “close to a minor league deal.” Upton was released by Toronto after he didn’t make the opening day roster. He was traded to Toronto by the Padres last summer.
SCUFFLING GIANTS
The Giants have lost five of their first six games.
“I think we recognize that these things happen and baseball goes in swings of momentum of where everything’s falling for you and other times it goes the other way,” Hunter Pence said. “I think the energy, the fight, has been really good. We’ve just got to put it all together and keep working to put it all together.”
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (1-0, 7.20) is scheduled to make his second start of the season, on the same mound where he took the loss in the All-Star Game on July 12 after giving up home runs to Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez.
Padres: LHP Clayton Richard (1-0, 0.00) will try to follow-up on his brilliant start Tuesday night, when he threw eight innings of five-hit ball in a 4-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.
