sons. (Paxton, for what its worth, has e | Forum

CHICAGO -- It had the look of yet another stirring comeback for the major league-leading Chicago Cubs. Giovani dos Santos Jersey .Trailing by a run, pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo led off the ninth inning with a walk and advanced to second on Dexter Fowlers sacrifice. Only Rizzo rounded second too far and was tagged out for a double play that was the last in a series of uncharacteristic miscues.Madison Bumgarner outpitched Jake Arrieta with 10 strikeouts over six innings, and San Francisco pounced on those mistakes for a 3-2 victory over Chicago on Saturday.Its not very common with our group of guys, Arrieta said. You dont expect to see those things often.Bumgarner (14-8) allowed two runs and five hits in his fourth victory in his last five starts. San Francisco, trying to catch Los Angeles in the NL West, rebounded from a pair of one-run losses in the first two games of the four-game set between potential postseason opponents.Were going up against a team that, I dont think theyve clinched yet, but theyre going to be there, Bumgarner said. And were planning on being there. So its a playoff-type of matchup.The Giants entered the All-Star break a major league-best 57-33. But they are just 16-29 since that point, leaving them looking up at the Dodgers and clinging to the top spot in the wild-card race.It was one we definitely wanted and needed, catcher Buster Posey said. It was good to score some runs off Arrieta and then for our bullpen to hold the lead.Arrieta (16-6) was charged with three runs -- two earned -- and four hits in six innings in his first loss since July 30. Chicago had won five in a row overall.A little bad luck, a little missed execution, Arrieta said.After Rizzo was tagged out, Kris Bryant then hit a soft liner to shortstop Brandon Crawford, handing Santiago Casilla his 30th save.It was a great game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. You can nitpick it all you want, I love that game. Thats very similar to a playoff situation, things dont always go right or according to plan.Chicago also had an opportunity in the sixth, but Bumgarner struck out Matt Szczur for the third time with two on. Hunter Strickland got Addison Russell to line to right with the bases loaded in the seventh.The Cubs entered with a 16 1/2-game lead in the NL Central thanks to a number of tremendous defensive plays in the past week. But they were sloppy on a cloudless day with the wind blowing in as two of the games top pitchers squared off.Third baseman Tommy La Stellas two-out throwing error in the first made it 1-0. The Giants scored in the fourth with the help of a passed ball and added a run in the sixth on Arrietas second wild pitch.The Cubs got within 2-1 in the fifth thanks to Javier Baezs hustle. He led off with a single, stole second and scored from there when third baseman Eduardo Nunez was unable to barehand Arrietas slow roller.Angel Pagan doubled and scored on the error by La Stella, who was a late addition after Jorge Soler was scratched with an ingrown toenail. Soler hit for La Stella in the fifth and struck out with one on.The Giants took a 2-0 lead on Nunezs RBI single in a fourth that included a walk and wild pitch by Arrieta and Willson Contreras passed ball.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: Reliever Derek Law (elbow) hasnt begun throwing yet, but manager Bruce Bochy said they expect him to be at full strength when hes eligible to come off the disabled list Sept. 12.Cubs: Setup man Hector Rondon (triceps) threw a 22-pitch simulated game and felt good enough that his rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa was scrapped. Rondon could be activated Monday. Im back to normal, he said.STREAKS OVERThe Cubs had won nine consecutive games at Wrigley Field and the Giants had lost six straight in Chicago.WILDArrietas two wild pitches gave him an NL-high 12.UP NEXTCubs RHP John Lackey (9-7, 3.41 ERA) has recovered from a shoulder injury and is expected to be activated off the disabled list to face Giants RHP Johnny Cueto (14-5, 2.98 ERA) on Sunday. Javier Aquino Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Yasser Corona Jersey . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/jesus-duenas-mexico-jersey/ . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Noah Syndergaard throws the fastest average fastball out of every starting pitcher we have on record. Granted, our record stretches back only to 2002, but thats 15 seasons, and pitchers are throwing harder than ever before. Unsurprisingly, in second place, theres rookie-year Stephen Strasburg, whose every start was a well-publicized event. This year, Syndergaard has averaged 98.0 miles per hour, and in 2010, Strasburg averaged 97.3.Continue down the list and theres the 2016 version of Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton in third place, at 97.2 miles per hour. His name might be relatively unfamiliar, but its a name worth keeping in mind as the Mariners try to make a charge for the playoffs. Paxton is coming into his own at the big league level, and he seems to be turning into a pitcher short on peers.Now, as anyone who has watched Yordano Ventura can tell you, theres more to pitching than just throwing hard. If you object to the Ventura reference, Nathan Eovaldi works well as a stand-in. Hitters can hiit bad fast pitches, and they can hit good fast pitches if they dont have to worry about anything else. Candido Ramirez Jersey. . Paxton is taking a step forward, and its about more than simply letting it fly. Name an area where a pitcher could improve and Paxton has probably improved at it.This is a starter who has been around since 2013. However, lat and finger injuries limited him to just 13 big league starts in each of the past two years. Already thats one improvement: This year, Paxton has been durable, with 23 starts between Triple-A and the majors. But let me show you what this breakout looks like in table form. There are 168 starting pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings in each of the past two seasons. (Paxton, for what its worth, has easily cleared those low marks.) Here you can see how Paxton has improved in three stats, and you can see his improvement rank among those 168: ' ' '