Kris Bryant homered and drove in three runs to help lift the Chicago Cubs to their third straight win over the San Francisco Giants as the Cubs won 8-6 late Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Giants rallied for three in the ninth, but their comeback effort fell short.
Bryant's home run (15) came in the bottom of the third with Anthony Rizzo on first base via a one-out single. The two-run blast put the Cubs ahead 3-2 at the time.
Bryant drove in Kyle Schwarber in the first to put the Cubs up 1-0. He lined the ball very hard with the bases loaded and one out, but shortstop Brandon Crawford knocked it down and got the force out at second. Bryant, hustling all the way, beat the relay throw to first to allow Schwarber to score (video). Bryant is starting to show signs of coming out of a prolonged slump.
In the top of the second, Brandon Belt reached the right-field basket for a two-run home run (15) that put the Giants ahead 2-1 (video). Jorge Soler got under the ball and leaped for it, but he was also under the basket, so the ball never reached his glove. Hunter Pence walked ahead of the home run on a 3-2 pitch that appeared to hit the outside corner, but Pence got the call.
The Giants tied the game at 3-3 on Crawford's RBI double off the left-field wall that scored Pence from first base. Pence was 2 for 3 on the day and scored twice.
The Cubs took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth (Miguel Montero RBI single, Kyle Hendricks run-scoring double play -- no RBI). They added three more in the eighth (Addison Russell RBI single, Dexter Fowler RBI triple, Schwarber RBI single) to make the score 8-3. The Cubs ended up needing those extra runs.
Russell had three hits -- two of them doubles -- a run scored, and a run driven in to aid in the Cubs' effort.
San Francisco rallied for three in the ninth on RBI singles from Ehire Adrianza, Angel Pagan, and Nori Aoki. Matt Duffy, though, representing the tying run with Aoki on first, grounded out to Russell at short to end the game thanks to Rizzo's scoop of the low throw that bounced in the dirt (video).
Hendricks (W: 6-5, 3.73) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits. He walked two, struck out five, and served up Belt's home run. Travis Wood got out a big jam in the sixth and had an easy seventh. Pedro Strop pitched a perfect eighth. James Russell and Jason Motte gave up the three ninth-inning runs, and Justin Grimm (S: 3) got Duffy, his only hitter faced, to end the game.
Matt Cain (L: 2-3, 5.59) lasted only four innings. He allowed five earned runs on six hits while walking five and fanning two. He also served up Bryant's home run. In each game of the series, the Giants had to go to their bullpen by the fifth inning. Santiago Casilla was charged with all three eighth-inning runs in 1/3 of an inning.
With the win, the Cubs widen their lead over San Francisco for the second N.L. Wild Card position to 2.5 games.
On Sunday, the Cubs go for the four-game sweep as they send ace Jake Arrieta (12-6, 2.50) to the mound against San Francisco's Jake Peavy (2-4, 3.77). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. EDT.