Giants' Madison Bumgarner could pitch out of bullpen in Game 6

Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner said he will available to come out of the bullpen if called upon in Game 6 of the World Series against the Royals.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner said he will be available to come out of the bullpen if called upon in Game 6 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

The last time Bumgarner made a relief appearance was in Game 6 of the 2010 National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he threw two scoreless innings. The Giants closed out Philadelphia with a 3-2 victory and went on to the World Series, where they defeated the Texas Rangers in five games.

San Francisco leads the best-of-seven-series three games to two with Game 6 set for Tuesday night in Kansas City. The last team that lost Game 6 with a 3-2 World Series lead and then went on to win the series was the 1997 Florida Marlins, who beat the Cleveland Indians.

Bumgarner threw 117 pitches in a four-hit shutout in Game 5 on Sunday.

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"I'm not a big pitch-count guy," Bumgarner said, according to CSNBayArea.com. "So as long as you keep getting outs and you feel good, you should stay out there."

Bumgarner was asked where he would like to watch Game 6: from the bullpen or the dugout.

"Probably a little of both," he said. "I mean, I’d like to watch some of it from the bullpen."

Jake Peavy will take the mound for San Francisco in Game 6 and will face Kansas City rookie Yordano Ventura in a rematch of Game 2. Peavy took the loss in that game after pitching five innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs, while Ventura took a no-decision in the 7-2 victory.

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Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that he has confidence in Peavy and the team wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for him, but added he wouldn’t hesitate to call on Bumgarner if he needs an out.

"He really bounces back well, and we wouldn't ask him to do a lot," Bochy said. "But if I needed to get an out or something, I'm sure he'll say he's available."

- Scooby Axson