There are two schools of thought when a major leaguer is on a rehabilitation assignment with one of their organization’s minor league affiliates. For the rehabbing player, it’s all about getting back into MLB shape and back with the big club regardless of game results. For the rest of the team – the actual minor leaguers – it’s all about being successful and catching the eye of the organization’s player development people and the front office. In other words, it’s all about being successful and progressing through the farm system as quickly as possible with hopes of ultimately making it to the show.

On Wednesday evening, the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes did their very best to see that neither happened, both for rehabbing San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and for the Giants Advanced Single-A affiliate San Jose Giants. It would be MadBum’s third rehab appearance but his first with the High-A affiliate.

As you undoubtedly recall, Bumgarner suffered a grade-2 sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder and bruised several ribs in a dirt bike accident on April 20 in Colorado.

After missing eight weeks of the season Bumgarner made his first rehab start on June 25 with the Arizona Rookie League Giants, where he did not allow a run or a hit in his three innings of work while walking one and striking out two.

Not bad.

His second rehab start was on June 30 with the team’s Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats. This one did not go nearly as well. In his 3.2 innings of work, the 27-year-old Hickory, North Carolina native allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Not good.

Deciding that perhaps it might be best to back off a little in rushing their ace back to the bigs, Bumgarner was sent to San Jose to make his third rehab start with the team’s Advanced Single-A team on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for Bumgarner, he was apparently unaware that the team that he would be facing – the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – had the California League’s top two home run leaders on it, this in addition to a stable full of power hitters.

Disastrous.

After a quick 1-2-3 first inning and two quick outs in the second, the 6′-5″ / 250-pound right hander was introduced to Quakes first baseman Ibandel Isabel, the Cal League’s second-leading home run hitter with 15. Isabel promptly line a home run over the right field fence to give the Quakes an early 1-0 lead. The Giants answered back in their half of the second to tie the game 1-1.

Bumgarner allowed a walk in the his third inning of work but escaped without any further damage.

…and then came the fourth inning.

Madison Bumgarner, meet DJ Peters – the Cal League’s home run leader. Peters crushed … absolutely CRUSHED a 474-foot home run way over the left field wall for his 17th home run of the season.

Madison Bumgarner, meet the rest of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, who would send 11 men to the plate before the final out was recorded.

But wait, there’s more!

In his second at-bat of the fourth inning, Peters hit another home run – his 18th of the season – to left field, this one a two-run shot.

Peters’ fourth-inning home run on Wednesday night – the first one – traveled 474 feet and may very well be the longest home run of the season in the Cal League.
(Photo credit – Steve Saenz)

When the inning finally ended, the Quakes had put up and additional eight runs on eight hits and had hit for a team cycle.

“Tonight was a big team win for us, not only because we were facing one of the best pitchers in the game, but also because it gave us the series win,” Peters said, after the game. “[Thursday] we get to go for a series sweep on the road. Whenever you get the chance to sweep a good team at their home field, it’s always a great feeling, no matter who it is.”

As for his success against one of the best pitchers in the major leagues, the 22-year-old Glendora, California native put his own personal accomplishments aside and acknowledged his respect for Bumgarner and for his Quakes teammates.

“We were ready for Bum tonight. He has some of the best stuff in all of baseball, which is why he’s a three-time World Series Champion and a World Series MVP,” added Peters. “He’s a workhorse and he’s going to give you his everything. Tonight, we hit him well. All-in-all it was a great team win for the Quakes.”

To put into perspective exactly what Peters has accomplished lately – especially during this past week – he went 3-for-4 with three home runs this past Sunday, went 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a triple on Monday, and went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs in the Bumgarner game. In other words, he is pretty much a lock to receive Cal League Player of the Week honors yet again, something that he has already done twice thus far this season with the Quakes and twice last season with the Dodgers Pioneer Rookie League Ogden Raptors.

As expected and adhering to that first school of thought about rehab assignments, Bumgarner all but discounted his disastrous outing on Wednesday night in which he allowed nine runs, nine hits, one walk, five strikeouts and four home runs for a 20.25 ERA, and he clearly wasn’t the least bit concerned with the disastrous results. In fact, he viewed Wednesday night’s outing as a success.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously, that was kind of a lopsided outing, but for what I’m looking for, I feel good.”

Go figure. But I’m guessing that the rest of the San Jose Giants might not see it this way.

Bumgarner is expected to make another rehab start with the San Jose Giants on Monday, July 10 against the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) at San Jose Municipal Stadium. After that, he hopes to return to the major league club immediately following the MLB All-Star break, which might be a good thing – at least for MadBum – because the Quakes host the San Jose Giants for a four-game series immediately following the MLB All-Star break. And you can bet that he wants absolutely nothing to do with DJ Peters or Ibandel Isabel or the rest of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes again.

Not ever.