Preview: Cubs at Giants
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[October 10, 2016]
Madison Bumgarner looks to
continue his impressive postseason success and keep the San
Francisco Giants alive when they host the Chicago Cubs on Monday in
Game 3 of their National League Division Series. The left-hander is
5-1 with one save and a 0.88 ERA in eight contests over his last two
postseasons (2014 and 2016) after shutting out the New York Mets 3-0
in the Wild-Card Game on Wednesday.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence with him on the mound,” San Francisco
catcher Buster Posey told reporters of his batterymate, who won both
regular-season starts against the Cubs this year. “We’ll try to go
out and win that one and go from there.” The Giants, who face
elimination after winning 11 straight postseason series, scored just
two runs over the first two games while Chicago’s pitchers have
driven in three with their bats. Javier Baez is 3-for-6 with a homer
in the series and the Cubs received a run-scoring single in the
first inning of Saturday's 5-2 win from Ben Zobrist, who is 6-for-12
lifetime against Bumgarner. Chicago turns to Jake Arrieta, who went
11-3 on the road this season and split a pair of starts against San
Francisco while posting a 2.08 ERA.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FS1
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10 ERA) vs. Giants
LH Madison Bumgarner (2016 playoffs: 1-0, 0.00)
Arrieta posted a 12-2 record and 2.10 ERA through June but split his
final 12 decisions, going 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA in September. The
30-year-old TCU product, who has 40 wins and a Cy Young Award (2015)
to his credit over the last two seasons, owns a 4-2 mark with a 1.82
ERA in six career starts versus the Cubs. Arrieta has held Posey,
Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt to a combined 2-for-38, but Angel
Pagan is 5-for-11 against him.
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Bumgarner baffled the Mets with a four-hitter, striking out six and
walking a pair in improving his career postseason numbers to 8-3
with a 1.94 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. The 27-year-old cooled off in the
second half of the regular season as well, going 5-5 with a 3.80 ERA
after posting a 10-4 record and 1.94 ERA before the All-Star break.
Bumgarner went 9-4 with a 2.14 ERA at home this year and has fared
well against the Cubs in his career (8-2, 2.25).
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WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, who belted 32 homers and knocked in 109
runs during the regular season, went 0-for-7 in the first two games.
2. The Giants have won nine straight elimination games, the longest
such streak in major-league history.
3. Chicago has gone 2-4 in six games at San Francisco over the last
two years and went 46-34 on the road during the regular season.
PREDICTION: Giants 4, Cubs 1
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