Austin Slater and Joe Panik hit consecutive pitches for two-out, RBI doubles in a three-run eighth inning Monday night that rallied the host San Francisco Giants to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a three-game series.
Pablo Sandoval opened the eighth with a double, and Brandon Crawford set up the difference-making hits by Slater and Panik with an RBI single, helping the Giants win for the ninth time in their last 10 games. The win pushed the Giants (51-50) over .500 for the first time this season.
Home runs by Robel Garcia, his fourth, and Kyle Schwarber, his 22nd, had helped the Cubs take a 3-0 lead midway through the fourth. Anthony Rizzo's eighth-inning RBI double gave them 4-2 lead, but the Giants stormed back with four hits against the fifth Chicago pitcher, Pedro Strop (2-4).
Sam Dyson survived a two-out walk to Victor Caratini and following single by Addison Russell in the ninth for his second save. He preserved the Giants' fourth win in five games of their seven-game homestand by getting Schwarber to pop out to shortstop with the potential tying run at second.
All four of San Francisco's wins in the last five days have been by one run. Trevor Gott (7-0), who allowed Rizzo's double, got the win.
The homers by Garcia in the second inning and Schwarber in the third came against Giants starter Shaun Anderson. The Cubs led 3-0 after an RBI single by Albert Almora Jr. in the fourth, and never trailed until the eighth.
Neither starting pitcher got a decision.
Anderson stood to take the loss before the late rally, allowing three runs on just three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Cubs starter Alec Mills was charged with two runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out five.
Panik had three hits, while Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski had two apiece for the Giants, who out-hit the Cubs 13-6.
The loss was just the Cubs' third in 10 games since the All-Star break.
--Field Level Media
