CHICAGO — With a rousing victory at Wrigley Field on Saturday, the Giants improved to … 16-29 in the second half.
They didn’t have to squint hard, though, to see what they can be, even with the way they’ve played over the past 45 games.
Saturday’s game felt like a playoff preview for the Giants, who still fully believe in their chances of winning the National League West. For the Cubs, it might have been a preview of a different kind. The postseason is about doing the small things, and in a 3-2 win over the best team in baseball, the Giants paid attention to just about every detail. When Madison Bumgarner is on the mound and when they play the way they know how, they believe they’re as good as anybody, even with the second half record pulling them down.
“They’re going to be there,” Bumgarner said of the Cubs. “We plan on being there, too.”
Buster Posey joined Bumgarner in calling it a playoff atmosphere, and manager Bruce Bochy said he can still picture his team doing damage in October.
“You’ve got to get there, but it’s a tough group,” he said. “Despite what’s happened, I really like the way they’re coming out and staying focused. They’ve had their backs against the wall and been through difficult times, but they’re going to keep fighting. It’s all about coming out every day with the same effort, and I really believe they’re doing that. They’re not losing their focus.”
[INSTANT REPLAY: Bumgarner K's 10 Cubs, lifts Giants to big win]
That was apparent on the biggest plays Saturday. A sloppy error cost the Cubs an early run and Joe Panik and Eduardo Nuñez took advantage of two wayward pitches from Jake Arrieta to add another run in the fourth. Brandon Crawford was paying attention to Arrieta’s propensity for bouncing pitches, and he took a crucial bag in the sixth with the Giants nursing a one-run lead.
First, though, Crawford had to take a bit of a shot to his ego. The normally smooth shortstop got caught in the dirt as he stole second, leading to a face-first approach into the bag. It was reminiscent of Posey’s slide in Miami, although not nearly as painful.
“Compared to Buster's, it was a B,” Crawford said, grading himself. “Compared to the rest of mine, it was an F. The next slide was an A.”
The next slide came on a heads-up play. The Cubs shifted Brandon Belt as every team does, but Crawford noticed that Javier Baez was further off the bag than any other shifted third baseman he had seen this year. He also noticed that Baez was standing flat-footed, and that Addison Russell was far enough away from second for Crawford to get a big walking lead.
“With two outs and Arrieta on the mound, you want to score any way you can,” Crawford said. “I wanted to go when Arrieta was getting his signs.”
Crawford did, stunning the Cubs. He stole third and then cruised home when Arrieta bounced a pitch to the plate. The series was crucial, and when Belt struck out, it became clear that Crawford had singlehandedly stolen an insurance run.
Bumgarner gave a run back in the bottom of the inning, but he bowed his neck with the tying and go-ahead runs on base, throwing a cutter past Matt Sczur on the 10th pitch of an at-bat and 103rd pitch of his day.
“I know Bum had to be on fumes there,” Bochy said. “But he found a way to get a big strikeout.”
That kicked off a tense hour at Wrigley. The Cubs loaded the bases in the seventh, but Addison Russell lined out sharply to right. Anthony Rizzo led off with a walk in the ninth, but Santiago Casilla got out of the jam thanks to another heady play by his defenders.
Dexter Fowler tried to bunt Rizzo into scoring position and put down a good one. But as Rizzo approached second, he saw an empty bag at third. Crawford saw the same thing, but he also saw Posey sprinting from home to third to cover for Nuñez, so he retreated to second. Rizzo did, too, but he got there too late. Panik threw behind Rizzo and Crawford put the tag down for a double play.
Casilla got the final out and the Giants finally took a deep breath. Then they smiled. They haven’t been particularly down during this stretch, but they haven’t been all that joyous either. The afternoon win allowed players to let loose a little.
George Kontos stuck an Aquafina bottle in Bumgarner’s face during his interview and asked him about his balk. Bumgarner threw some delightfully subtle shade at first base umpire Phil Cuzzi, a longtime Giants nemesis, saying that his balk “was no surprise.” Panik called Crawford, who now has six stolen bases on the season, a “modern day Ricky Henderson.” Asked about taking two bags, Crawford smiled and channeled Jarrod Dyson. “That’s what speed do,” he said.
The good vibes could be crushed in the series finale, but on a day when Bumgarner outgunned the reigning Cy Young Award winner and the Giants held off a team that should win 100 games, players weren’t shy about looking down the line. Bumgarner even seemed to issue a warning of sorts to a National League field that has seen what this team can do in October.
“It doesn’t take much to get us started on the right track. Hopefully that’s what happens,” he said. “Right now, as bad as it seems, we’re still in a better spot than in 2014. We’ve still got the division in our sights for sure, but it’s just about getting there. If you get in, it’s a whole different deal.”
