Giants win again but can't shake injury bug

Mothers across the Bay Area were appalled. The table was set repeatedly but no one would come to dinner. As it turned out, there was just enough meat and potatoes to make a meal as San Francisco carved out a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee.

It was a triumph of inventory. The Giants pounded out a dozen hits but had issues getting men home...again. In the end they created just enough opportunities for the Brewers to shoot themselves in the foot.

Milwaukee was looking for some pitching help from veteran Matt Garza, who was making his 2016 debut after starting the season on the shelf with back problems. He drew the short straw, getting to go against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner who was stingy as usual.

MadBum was at his MadBum-iest (AP Photo)

The night also marked the return of Angel Pagan from a hamstring injury. He was expected back Wednesday but talked his way into the line-up a day early after a successful three-game rehab at Sacramento. Not only did he play, he contributed; driving in a run and scoring the eventual game-winner.

At 40-26, the G-Men maintained a six-game lead over The Hated Dodgers (34-32), who snapped a three-game skid with a 7-4 win at Arizona. No other NL West team has a record above .500.

Garza was rusty but also slippery as ever. The Giants got to him for multiple base runners in each of the first four innings but managed just one run, and that hurt when Jonathan Lucroy homered to open the Milwaukee fifth. The Giants had an 8-2 lead in hits but it read 1-1 on the scoreboard. There's a technical term for that: it "sucks."

The SF run had crossed in the third on singles by Joe Panik, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. Panik's hit was of the infield variety and required a replay reversal, while Crawford notched the RBI.

Garza exited after four innings and 86 pitches so the Giants went to work on Corey Knebel. Posey opened the fifth with a single and Matt Duffy walked to set the stage and keep the multiple-runner thing going. When Crawford turned an 0-2 into a walk, the bases were juiced with none out and the Knebel was history. Facing Carlos Torres, Pagan ripped a shot down the line at first and got robbed. Chris Carter made a splendid play to get a force at second but the Giants had regained the lead.

Aw, heck. Prosperity is overrated. Bumgarner got two quick outs in the sixth then surrendered a double and single. They were just the third and fourth (and as it turned out, last) Brewers hits but ,presto change-o, the game was tied again at 2-2.

Make it 6-for-6 on those innings with extra runners; Belt was plunked with two outs and Posey got his fourth hit of the night. For the fourth time nothing came of it, and through six the Giants were 2-for-11 with RISP and had left 12 runners aboard. Maybe the answer isn't hits. 

An Angel flies home; and you know you'd have used that one, too. (AP Photo)

Pagan got his first post-DL hit and Gregor Blanco singled with one out in the seventh -- two runners again. Wil Smith  (the other one) then uncorked back-to-back pitches to the backstop while walking Bumgarner, gifting the Giants with a 3-2 lead.

The streak ended in the eighth when Jacob Barnes set the Giants down in order. Barnes was the fourth Brewers hurler of the night. By contrast, Bumgarner handled eight (113 pitches) all by his lonesome, striking out eight with one walk before handing the ball to (ta-dah!) Santiago Casilla with a one-run lead. It was MadBum's 11th straight start allowing two runs or less.The last to do that? Juan Marichal in 1966. Wait, did someone say "Casilla"? Oh .....

Casilla retired the side in order, getting the last two outs on strikes to notch his 14th save and secure Bumgarner's eighth victory. He was immediately admitted to an undisclosed hospital for observation.

San Francisco bashed a dozen hits, led by Posey's 4-for-5 night. Shockingly, he did not get an at-bat with runners in scoring position. Jeez, the Giants left 13 runners on base. You'd have thought even Kruk and Kuip got a swing but the big gun was denied. Panik and Blanco had two hits each.

With Pagan back, the seemingly-cursed Giants suffered a blow when Belt had to leave the game soon after being hit in the sixth. His status is day-to-day. The Giants also recalled pitcher Chris Stratton to take the place of Matt Cain, whose return from a hamstring injury lasted all of 3 2/3 innings.

It's a short turn-around with some day baseball ending the series and the home stand on Wednesday. Johnny Cueto (9-1, 2.16 ERA) gets the call against Jimmy Nelson (5-5, 5.43).

(box)