MercuryNews
CHICAGO -- Just like last year, the Giants arrived at the midpoint of their season with a resounding thud.
Their 2-1 loss at Wrigley Field ended painfully in the ninth inning, with a baserunning mistake by Emmanuel Burriss that muted their tying rally and a location mistake from Sergio Romo to Aramis Ramirez that resulted in a walk-off single for the Northsiders to cheer.
It was a stinging defeat, but not as deflating as No. 81 a year ago, when the Giants lost a 15-inning marathon to the Colorado Rockies in what ranks as the longest game in Coors Field history.
The upshot this time: The Giants are not in fourth place in the N.L. West. They are not 71/2 games off the pace. Nor are they bobbing along at one game over .500.
Despite major injuries to Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez, the Giants stand atop the division with a 46-35 record. They have been lifted by another half-season of outstanding pitching. Maybe by something else, too.
The defending champs are confident. They are infused with belief. And in the case of Tim Lincecum, maybe they're a little bit ornery, too.
"I don't have a lot to say to people who are going to doubt us," said Lincecum, asked about critics who say the Giants' success is unsustainable. "That's what people said last year, and we won the World Series. This team has that kind of experience and know-how. That's a given. We'll use that negative as a motivation for us to show they're
After a three-start swoon in early June, Lincecum has his mojo back. He pitched brilliantly while holding the Cubs to a run in seven innings, but he was on the hook to fall to 6-7 before the Giants rallied in the ninth.
Ryan Dempster entered the ninth having retired 20 consecutive hitters and thrown just 78 pitches. Pinch hitter Pat Burrell broke the spell, greeting him with a double to knock him from the game.
Facing nasty Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, Burriss stayed up the middle with a 3-2 pitch to single home pinch runner Bill Hall. Burriss took second base on the throw home, too.
But Burriss went from hero to billy goat in the time it takes a bleacher bum to chug a beer. He went back to tag up on Aubrey Huff's line drive, which landed for a single despite center fielder Tony Campana's diving attempt. Burriss had to hold at third base, and Cody Ross followed by grounding into a double play.
"With one out, he doesn't need to tag," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I think Manny thought the ball was caught. Ideally, you want to be halfway. He didn't see it bounce away.
"We missed a golden opportunity to steal one."
Burriss said he wouldn't have scored anyway, although right fielder Kosuke Fukudome's desperation throw to the plate clearly was offline.
The Cubs won it in the bottom of the inning when Campana beat out an infield chopper and Romo made a rare mistake against a right-handed hitter. Entering the game, Romo had held right-handers to a .123 average (8 for 65) with 33 strikeouts and just three walks.
But he threw a flat 0-2 slider to Ramirez, who lined it into left field.
"I'm just trying to do my job," Romo said. "Today it came down to execution, and good hitters hit mistakes."
Lincecum made far fewer mistakes. He only regretted consecutive pitches in the seventh -- a changeup that Carlos
Peña hit for a double and a fastball that Blake DeWitt lined to break the scoreless tie.
Other than that sequence, Lincecum was brilliant as he struck out nine and issued just one unintentional walk. He impressively turned it up in the fifth, striking out three after DeWitt reached third base on a double and a wild pitch.
Lincecum, who has a 3.04 ERA, said he can be much more consistent in the second half. The Giants believe their league-worst offense can perform better, too. Still, their 22 comeback wins and 22-11 record in one-run games suggest a team that is living too far on the edge.
"We believe in ourselves," Burrell said. "I think that's a big part of it, even though offensively, other than (Tuesday's doubleheader), it's been pretty poor."
After losing Posey and Sanchez to devastating injuries, the Giants have a built-in excuse. They would prefer not to take it.
"I'm proud of how the guys have battled," Bochy said. "If you're comparing us to last year, sure, we're better off. Still, there's so much baseball left. We've got to keep pushing and grinding, and I know these guys are going to do that."
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