Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants celebrated their first off-day of the second half a bit early.
With a much-needed rest coming Thursday, the first break in a half that has featured six extra-inning games – and four in their past seven – the Giants slept through a 4-1, series-closing loss to the Cubs on a beautiful matinee in front of 37,746 at Oracle Park on Wednesday.
Tyler Beede was hit hard for the first time in a month, and Giants bats that already had settled down never woke up, finishing with seven hits against a makeshift Cubs staff.
The rare setback – they dropped to 16-4 in July – moved them to 2 ½ games back of an NL wild card before other games had finished Wednesday. They closed the homestand 5-2, taking their sixth straight series, and now go to San Diego for three games and then Philadelphia, where they will be when the front office decides their direction at the trade deadline.
The Giants could do little off Tyler Chatwood, who was only pitching because Jon Lester was scratched with an illness. Chatwood went four innings, and a cavalcade of relievers kept the Giants quiet.
Despite the successful run at Oracle Park, the offense did not do its part. As the Giants have come together, the bats that crushed Miller Park and Coors Field either did just enough or not enough at home. In the seven games here, they scored a total of 21 runs.
Beede couldn’t compensate. The rookie, who has seemed to find himself the past month, briefly lost himself again, lasting 5 2/3 innings while giving up four runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts. It was encouraging that he only walked one; in his past four outings, he’s now let up just 2 bases on balls. It was less encouraging that the Cubs hit three home runs off him.
The second batter of the game, Javy Baez, ripped a fastball 411 feet to left, which was a bad omen. Kris Bryant took his shot in the third, and Albert Almora Jr. drilled a 389-foot dinger in the fourth. All were slugged off Beede fastballs; his slider was his best pitch Wednesday, drawing nine swinging strikes.
After Beede was lifted, Drew Pomeranz contributed 1 1/3 scoreless, two-strikeout innings. He’s now gone 8 1/3 innings while allowing just one run.
Offensively, only Stephen Vogt came to play, going 3-for-4 with two doubles – but was stranded each time.