Greinke outduels Bumgarner as slumping Giants’ skid continues

2:43 AM ET

How often does an ace face an ace? I don’t know without conducting hours of research, but San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner is probably ready for an easier opponent in his next start.

After making consecutive starts against Clayton Kershaw — Bumgarner drew a no-decision in a 3-2 loss and then allowed seven runs in a 7-3 defeat — he had to face new Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke on Wednesday in San Francisco. This one turned into the best pitcher’s duel of the three games, as it was a scoreless contest into the seventh.

That’s when Bumgarner made his one mistake of the evening, an 0-2 fastball to Welington Castillo that he wanted to get inside but instead left out over the plate. Castillo crushed it to left-center for a two-run homer.

Welington Castillo’s two-run blast proved to be the difference as Madison Bumgarner lost his third start in a row. Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Greinke would give a run back in the bottom of the inning, but the Diamondbacks’ bullpen held on to the 2-1 win, with Brad Ziegler striking out Trevor Brown to end it with the tying run on third, perhaps receiving a gift strike-three call on a pitch below the knees.

It was a good, tight game, as you would expect with these two guys pitching.

The Giants got their first two runners on against Greinke in the first, but he escaped by getting Buster Posey to fly out and then striking out Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford. Bumgarner …

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