Pagan's Single Lifts Giants To 7-5 Win Over Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Angel Pagan hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth inning and the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants closed out a successful road trip with a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Santiago Casilla (6-5) pitched an inning to get the victory and Javier Lopez got the final two outs for his sixth save in eight chances, making the Giants 5-1 on a six-game swing through Houston and Chicago — the two worst teams in the NL Central.
San Francisco carried a 3-1 lead into the fifth but Darwin Barney scored on right fielder Hunter Pence's error and Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run drive off Matt Cain for his 25th homer, putting the Cubs ahead 5-3.
Brandon Belt tripled in Xavier Nady in the sixth and scored the tying run on Manuel Corpas' wild pitch. Then the Giants took advantage of a bout of wildness by Carlos Marmol to grab the lead in the ninth.
Nady led off with a four-pitch walk and was replaced by Gregor Blanco, who swiped second with one down. Brandon Crawford then walked and Pagan followed with a single to center. Marco Scutaro added another RBI single to give the Giants a two-run cushion.
Marmol (2-3) was 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA in his previous 17 appearances.
Cain last just five innings, matching his shortest outing of the season, and was charged with five runs and six hits. The ace right-hander was 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in his last four starts.
Chicago starter Travis Wood surrendered seven hits and four runs — two earned — in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander is 0-8 with a 6.33 ERA in his last 10 starts.
San Francisco got three in the third, aided by an error on first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who threw wide to first on Cain's sacrifice bunt, putting runners at first and second. Pagan, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey followed with RBI singles.
Cain missed Darwin Barney's comebacker to start the bottom half of the inning. Barney, credited with an infield single, moved up on Wood's sacrifice and scored on David DeJesus' sharp single to make it 3-1.
And the Cubs practically repeated that sequence for their second run in the fifth when Barney singled, advanced on Wood's sacrifice and scored when Pence bobbled DeJesus' single.
Luis Valbuena then walked and after a fielder's choice, Soriano drove a pitch to deep left center. Soriano now has nine seasons with at least 25 homers.
NOTES: Soriano leaped into the ivy to catch Cain's long fly ball in the fourth. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy said it might help Pablo Sandoval to drop a few pounds. "It's an ongoing issue, obviously. Something he's been battling. He showed last year that he's a better hitter when his weight is down," Bochy said. "We'd like to get him down a little bit, but it's hard in September with the focus. This winter he needs to get back on the program he had a few years ago."
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