An ace at Augusta

Daniel Brown - MercuryNews

As the Giants complete preparations for the June 5 draft, it's worth noting that last year's top pick is doing just fine.

Left-hander Madison Bumgarner, the 10th overall selection in 2007, has allowed only one earned run over his past 33 2/3 innings for Class-A Augusta.

Overall, he is 5-2 with a 2.18 ERA while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings.
"Anytime you're the first player taken in the organization, there are obviously going to be some expectations with that," Manager Andy Skeels told the Augusta Chronicle over the weekend. "He has handled it better than we could have hoped for."

Taken out of South Caldwell (N.C.) High, Bumgarner has looked dominating over 45 1/3 innings with 50 strikeouts against nine walks. Opponents are batting .222 against him.

The 6-foot-4 left-hander threw a career-high 6 2/3 innings against Charleston on Saturday without allowing a runner past first base.

The Giants have the fifth overall pick this year, their highest spot since taking Jason Grilli fourth in 1997.

• Second baseman Travis Denker, 22, got his first major league start in Game 1 on Sunday. He hit a leadoff double against Mark Hendrickson in the fourth inning for his first hit. But he also bobbled Wes Helms' potential double-play ball in the third inning, opening the door for a run that tied the score 5-5.Manager Bruce Bochy spoke highly of the rookie's approach at the plate. He likes Denker's aggressiveness and knowledge of the strike zone.

"He looks hitter-ish up there," Bochy said.

Denker broke into the lineup on the anniversary of another grand entrance. On May 25, 1951, Willie Mays made his major league debut, at age 20, in an 8-5 victory at Philadelphia. Mays went hitless in five at-bats but eventually got the hang of things.

• Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla hit his 16th home run to tie Houston's Lance Berkman for the major league lead. (The Giants had the misfortune of running into both hot hitters this month.)

"You don't really think too much about it," Uggla said of his binge. "I have the potential to hit some runs, but I don't put a number or a goal on it. You just roll with it."

• Game 1 was interrupted 29 minutes by rain, an unwelcome sight after a delay of almost three hours led to a postponement a night earlier.

• Today's scheduled day off is well-timed for a bedraggled team coming off an epic work shift in the humidity Sunday.

"I don't think we could have a better time for an off day," Bochy said. "The bullpen is drained."

• Tim Lincecum, who starts the series opener against Arizona on Tuesday, is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two career starts against the Diamondbacks.