Madison Bumgarner makes the San Francisco Giants better

Madison Bumgarner is the anchor. He is to the San Francisco Giants what Clayton Kershaw is to the Dodgers.

For a few fleeting moments Friday, the Dodgers had their chance. Yasiel Puig worked an eight-pitch walk to lead off the game. Justin Turner hit a sharp bouncer off the glove of Bumgarner, who charged off the mound, corralled the stray ball and fell to the ground.

Surely this would be the Dodgers’ chance. Bumgarner raised his left arm to throw to first base but, without his feet planted, the ball surely would roll into the right-field corner. Puig would score, and the Dodgers would have the lead in the opener of this critical three-game series.

Or not. Bumgarner threw a strike to first base. Turner was out, and the Dodgers never did score. The Giants beat L.A. all night long, with seven shutout innings from Bumgarner in a 9-0 rout.

The Giants won the game they had to win, the one with their ace on the mound, with the Dodgers lined up to throw Zack Greinke on Saturday and Kershaw on Sunday.

The Giants closed within one game of the Dodgers atop the National League West. The Dodgers have held first place in the division since July 26, but the Giants will tie for first with a victory Saturday.

If the Dodgers stumble into the wild-card playoff game, Kershaw is the guy they want pitching. If the Giants get there, Bumgarner is the guy they want pitching.

“I definitely see a different intensity from all the guys on the team when he is on the mound,” fellow San Francisco starter Ryan Vogelsong said. “You can see it in their eyes.

“When he goes to the mound, they feel like, ‘We’re going to win today,’ because he is pitching. As a starting pitcher, that’s the biggest compliment you can get from your teammates.”

The Giants see that intensity in Bumgarner too. In the second inning, when Hanley Ramirez had a leadoff double — the Dodgers’ only extra-base hit — Bumgarner retired the next three batters, without a ball out of the infield.

In the sixth inning, when Turner worked a 12-pitch walk to load the bases with two out, Bumgarner got Adrian Gonzalez to fly out, then stomped off the mound and slammed his fist into his glove.

“He’s been our lead horse all year, no doubt about it,” fellow Giants starter Tim Hudson said.

Bumgarner tied Kershaw and the Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto for the major league lead with 18 victories. Bumgarner is 18-9 with a 2.91 earned-run average and 208 strikeouts, a record for a San Francisco left-hander. Kershaw is 18-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 210 strikeouts, in 28 fewer innings.

“It’s hard to compare anybody in the league to what Clayton’s doing,” Hudson said. “But, as far as the importance to the team, Madison has been every bit as important to us as Clayton has been to the Dodgers. He gives you a stable No. 1, better than a good chance to win every time out.”

In May, Bumgarner was the NL pitcher of the month. In June, Kershaw was. In July, Kershaw was. In August, Bumgarner was.

Kershaw is on pace to lead the major leagues in ERA for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season. If the Giants overtake the Dodgers to win the NL West, could Bumgarner steal the Cy Young award from Kershaw?

Even the Giants are hesitant to go there.

“Kershaw is really good. He’s on a different level than everyone else,” Vogelsong said. “Bumgarner is right there too.

“I don’t even want to say it’s locked up. But, the way Clayton has been pitching, you’d be hard-pressed to say he hasn’t locked it up.

“You never know. You could definitely have a conversation on your hands, at least.”

Neither Bumgarner nor Kershaw has given up a run in the World Series. Bumgarner has pitched 15 innings in the World Series. Kershaw has yet to get there, and the Giants are in his way.

Follow Bill Shaikin on Twitter @BillShaikin