(Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images)
The San Francisco Giants have put together some stellar offensive efforts in the past week, while the Chicago Cubs are hoping a dramatic rally will change their recent fortunes.
The Giants look to build on a 20-hit output when they open a three-game series on Friday against the host Cubs, who scored four runs in the ninth inning for a 7-6 victory over the Athletics on Thursday night.
San Francisco outlasted the host Milwaukee Brewers 12-9 on Thursday to gain a split of a four-game series. The onslaught occurred four days after the Giants racked up a season-best run total in a 19-6 rout of the host Colorado Rockies.
On Thursday, Eric Haase hit a grand slam, Jung Hoo Lee had four hits and scored three times, and Casey Schmitt went deep on the game's first pitch. Matt Chapman had three hits and two RBIs, and Bryce Eldridge had three hits, two runs and an RBI.
Lee has a career-best 12-game hitting streak, the longest active run in the major leagues. He is batting .522 (24-for-46) during that stretch to increase his average to .322, the fourth-highest mark in the big leagues.
'I just think he's a really good hitter,' Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Lee. 'I boil it down to the mentality, but I do see him staying in line a lot better than he did earlier in the year.'
Schmitt, 27, hit eight homers in May, and the Thursday blast was his career-best 13th of the season.
'That's a cool thing,' Schmitt said of having a high for homers in early June. 'Just believing in myself, that's what I'm most proud of.'
The Cubs won for just the fourth time in 18 games due to their stellar rally against the A's.
Chicago trailed 6-3 entering the ninth but tied the score on Dansby Swanson's two-out single. Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a softly hit single to knock in the winning run.
'I was feeling really grateful for the at-bats we put up that inning,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'Down three, that's big stuff and exactly what this team is capable of. ... That's exactly what we needed.'
Swanson enjoyed a big moment in a dismal offensive season. He is batting just .184.
'We finally put together an inning where we strung together a bunch of pretty good at-bats,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'I'm most happy for Dansby. It's been rough, but he came up big and it was a huge hit.'
Left-hander Robbie Ray (3-6, 4.45 ERA) will start for the Giants on Friday against Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera (3-2, 4.00).
Ray owned a stellar 2.76 ERA before going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA over his last four starts, failing to last five innings in any of those contests.
On Sunday, Ray allowed three runs (one earned) in four innings while taking a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies.
Ray, 34, is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs. Swanson is just 2-for-14 against Ray, but one of the hits was a homer.
Counsell said Cabrera would be activated from the 15-day injured list before the Friday game.
Cabrera, 28, last pitched on May 20 against the Brewers, when he exited after throwing his first pitch of the fourth inning with a blister on his right middle finger.
'Obviously, the blister issue came up,' Counsell said. 'It certainly affected him in the Milwaukee start. Hopefully, there's a combination of we got him a little break and the finger can resolve itself.
'It's going to be an issue again -- it's been an issue every season for him. It's part of him pitching.'
Cabrera is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in five career starts against San Francisco. Lee is 3-for-5 with two walks against Cabrera. Schmitt has struck out in both his at-bats vs. the right-hander.
--Field Level Media
