Hendricks, Cubs Edge Giants 1-0 For 5th Straight Win
CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks pitched seven sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs won despite getting only two hits, edging the San Francisco Giants 1-0 Thursday for their fifth straight victory.
Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI single to help the NL Central leaders complete a three-game sweep. The Giants lost their fourth in a row.
A day after the Cubs won 12-11 in a game with seven home runs, there was a brisk breeze blowing in at Wrigley Field and the teams combined for just six hits.
Hendricks (9-9) allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked none. He has a 1.79 ERA in 11 home starts this season.
Relievers Brandon Kintzler, Kyle Ryan and Rowan Wick each got two outs to complete the four-hitter. Wick finished for his second save.
Cubs pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts without a walk.
Jeff Samardzija (9-10) gave up one run on two hits in seven innings against his former team.
Samardzija retired the first nine batters before Jason Heyward led off the fourth with a pop fly to short center. Kevin Pillar immediately began shading his eyes and lost it in the sun and the ball dropped in front of him for gift single.
With Heyward running, Nicholas Castellanos followed with a routine grounder to shortstop that Brandon Crawford booted for an error to put runners on first and second. Samardzija appeared on a verge of getting out of the jam when Kris Bryant bounced into a double play, but Rizzo followed with a liner to center for an RBI single.
San Francisco's best scoring chance came in the eighth. Crawford tripled off the right field wall with two outs against Kintzler. Without the wind, the ball might've been a game-tying homer.
Ryan, a left-hander, then came on to strike out pinch-hitter Austin Slater to end the inning.
TRIBUTE
Retiring Giants manager Bruce Bochy was honored before his last game at Wrigley. Cubs manager Joe Maddon and president Theo Epstein presented Bochy with a tile from the legendary center field with the number 15 (his uniform number) on it.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: After being examined in Los Angeles by orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, INF Pablo Sandoval (right elbow) returned to the Bay Area. The team's medical staff is in the process of determining how long Sandoval is likely to be sidelined.
Cubs: Closer Craig Kimbrel had pitched three of four days since being activated on Sunday — including a save in each of the first two games of the series— so he was unavailable on Thursday. "We're not going to push him," Maddon said.
UP NEXT
Giants: Following a day off on Friday, they return home for a two-game series against Bay Area rival Oakland. LHP Madison Bumgarner (8-8, 3.72 ERA) starts the opener Saturday night against Athletics RHP Chris Bassitt (9-5, 3.61).
Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (10-8, 4.23 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game series at home against the Nationals on Friday afternoon. RHP Aníbal Sanchez (7-6, 3.99) goes for Washington.
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