Giants 9, Cubs 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Madison Bumgarner struck out 12 batters in just six innings for the first time in his career Thursday afternoon, pitching the San Francisco Giants to a 9-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs and a 2-1 series win over the National League playoff contenders.
Right fielder Marlon Byrd smacked a three-run home run in the third inning and second baseman Kelby Tomlinson recorded his first major-league homer -- an eighth-inning grand slam -- as the Giants exacted a small measure of revenge after getting swept by the Cubs in a four-game series in Chicago earlier this month.
The Giants' win, the 15th in their last 18 home games, allowed them to match the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory earlier in the day at Cincinnati. San Francisco (68-59) remains 2 1/2 games behind the NL West leaders.
The Cubs, meanwhile, dropped a second in a row on the eve of heading to Los Angeles to face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the opener of a three-game series Friday night. Chicago (73-53) fell 3 1/2 games behind idle Pittsburgh (76-49) in the battle for the NL's first wild-card spot.
Bumgarner ran his August record to 5-0 with six innings of two-hit ball.
Both hits came in succession in the second inning, when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo singled and scored on a double by second baseman Starlin Castro.
Other than one walk later in the inning and another in the fifth, the Cubs got no other baserunners against the reigning World Series Most Valuable Player, who left after throwing 98 pitches.
The double-digit strikeout effort was his third of the month, with both of the others -- 12 against Houston on Aug. 11 and a season-best 14 against Washington on Aug. 16 -- coming in complete-game performances.
He had never struck out more than 11 batters in a start lasting six innings or less.
Bumgarner (16-6), who is not scheduled to pitch again this month, will finish August with 53 strikeouts and just five runs allowed in 37 2/3 innings (1.19 ERA).
Byrd produced a majority of the Giants' early scoring with a three-run home run in a four-run third.
After the Giants had countered the Cubs' run with an RBI double by center fielder Juan Perez in the bottom of the second, third baseman Matt Duffy put San Francisco on top in the third with a single that scored left fielder Nori Aoki.
One out later, Byrd smacked his second homer in six games as a Giant, a three-run shot to straightaway center field that gave Bumgarner a 5-1 cushion.
Aoki nearly added to the Giants' total in the sixth inning when he sliced a liner past diving left fielder Chris Denorfia. But Denorfia recovered in time to get the ball to shortstop Addison Russell, whose strong relay throw to the plate beat Aoki by a matter of inches.
Cubs starter Dan Haren (8-9) was pulled one out into the seventh inning, having allowed five runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Tomlinson's grand slam capped the Giants' scoring in the eighth against the third Cubs pitcher, left-hander James Russell. It followed a double by catcher Buster Posey and two walks, including one intentional to Byrd, bringing the rookie to the plate.
Tomlinson, Posey and Perez had two hits apiece for the Giants, who outhit the Cubs 10-3.
NOTES: Facing reigning World Series Most Valuable Player Madison Bumgarner on Thursday added to the Cubs' award-winning week. They'd already gone up against two Cy Young Award winners -- Cleveland Indians RHP Corey Kluber on Monday and Giants RHP Jake Peavy on Wednesday. ... The Cubs are scheduled to face the Los Angeles Dodgers' Cy Young Award-winning Clayton Kershaw in the opener of a three-game series Friday night. ... The Cubs are hoping to have CF Dexter Fowler (sore hand, shin) back in the starting lineup Friday. X-rays on Fowler's shin, injured on a foul ball Tuesday, were negative, but he was held out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive day. ... Cubs rookie Kris Bryant made his first start in right field. ... Giants 3B Matt Duffy (sprained right ankle) was able to start after X-rays taken Wednesday were negative. ... The Giants again played without OF Gregor Blanco (strained left hip). They are hoping to get him back -- and CF Angel Pagan (right patellar tendinitis) off the disabled list -- for Friday's series opener against St. Louis.