After loses to the Red Sox and the Rockies, the initial numbers are somewhat skewed by a 5.14 ERA. Looking past that though he has a 5 to 1 K:BB ratio and lasted seven innings both games. In fact, against Boston, Madison settled in quite comfortably after the 2nd inning, only giving up one hit through the next five innings. Colorado was a bit different though, tagging him in the 1st, 4th and 5th innings.

So after the first two games what I think we are seeing is a rookie who is a little nervous to finally be on the big stage. Remember, there is only one Stephen Strasburg this year (there may only be one Strasburg this decade), so lets try not to directly compare the two. There is one huge advantage that Bumgarner has been given though – he is pitching besides arguably the best starting staff in the league. As a rookie you can't ask for more… getting tips from Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez & Barry Zito will quickly improve your game. Strasburg has, well… nobody worth mentioning.