The San Francisco Giants seem to only know how to play heart-attack baseball, and who can blame them, with the miraculous ways they seem to win baseball games.
But, for the second night in a row, the Giants watched as their opponent came up with late-inning magic as the Cubs pick up a dramatic 5-2 walk-off win in 13 innings.
Geovany Soto hit the game winner off Ramon Ramirez to give the Cubs their second straight walk-off win in as many games.
Cain, gave the Giants another gem but only got a no decision to show for his dominance. The right-hander tossed seven innings of four hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts—finishing the day with 1,001 for his career. But, for the second night in a row, the offense failed to deliver for Cain, tallying just one run until the 13th inning.
Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano, left the game after just one plus innings with back soreness, but the bullpen picked him literally, flawlessly. Marcos Matteo cam in and didn't give up a hit in five relief innings as part of a 10 innings of no-hit ball from the Cubs bullpen.
Cain, gave the Giants another gem but only got a no decision to show for his dominance. The right-hander tossed seven innings of four hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts—finishing the day with 1,001 for his career. But, for the second night in a row, the offense failed to deliver, tallying just one run until the 13th inning.
Despite watching the offense fail to get a hit after the third inning; Cain's 111 pitches held the Cubs in check for seven; and Sergio Romo rebounded from his first loss of the season, with a strong eighth inning.
The Giants nursed a 1-0 lead through eight frames before turning to Brian Wilson, hoping to seal the victory and leave the Windy City having taken three of four from the struggling Cubs. They followed the formula for winning tight, low scoring games to the letter, but unlike most nights, the recipe didn't work.
Wilson entered the game leading the Majors with 24 saves in 26 chances. The bearded closer got Starlin Castro to groundout to lead off the ninth before Aramis Ramirez stepped in. He waited as Wilson struggled to a 3-1 count, then became the first to take him deep this entire season, tying the game at 1.
Wilson would get out of the ninth with no more damage, and the game stayed deadlocked until the top half of the 13th. Pablo Sandoval stood in against John Grabow with two down and the Giants' lineup still suffocated by the Cubs' bullpen.
Grabow threw Sandoval two straight hittable changeups before the third one deep was planted deep into the left center field seats; ending the 10 inning hitting and scoring drought with one swing, and giving the Giants a 2-1 lead.
After the brief breakthrough, San Francisco turned to right-hander Ramon Ramirez(2-1 2.51 ERA), who got the first two outs on just five pitches.
With the Cubs down to their last strike, Jeff Baker, whose earlier double-play ball killed a 10th inning Cubs rally, came to the plate and smashed a double to deep center field. Next came Darwin Barney and the Giants' outfield came in to keep a shallow base hit from bringing Baker home from second.
Down 1-2 in the count, Barney came through with a clutch ground ball single through the left side of the infield, that Cody Ross fielded before Baker rounded third. Ross had a chance to get Baker at the plate, but his throw was several feet over catcher Chris Stewart's head and the game was tied at 2, with Barney taking second on the throw.
After intentionally walking Starlin Castro, pinch-hitter Geovany Soto belted Ramirez's 3-2 changeup over the left field wall to seal it for Chicago.
The loss drops the Giants to 46-36 on the year, but they still lead the National League Western Division by a full game over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
The walk-off loss was San Francisco's second in as many days and second in a row after winning seven straight. The normally stellar bullpen couldn't carry the offense to another heart-stopping win, as the Giants twice blew saves in Thursday's game.
The only silver lining in the defeat was the brilliance of Matt Cain. Cain joined teammate Tim Lincecum in the Giants' 1,000 strikeout club with a fifth inning punch-out of Koyie Hill, becoming the fourth San Francisco Giant and twelfth overall Giant to fan at least 1,000 in a career.
After leaving Chicago with a split of a four game series, San Francisco's next series is against the Detroit Bumgarner with Madison Bumgarner (4-9 3.84 ERA) on the mound against former Giant Brad Penny from Comerica Park in Detroit.
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