The Cubs are mired in a dire situation – either they don’t produce enough offense to be in a game or they have a hot night at the plate only to turn the game over to their bullpen which inevitably will blow the lead. Scenario two is what happened in Monday’s series opener, as the Giants scored six runs in the 7th inning or later (including 3 in the 9th) to take the 7-6 victory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three of the first four San Francisco batters went down looking on Monday, but they were obviously setting up a strategy to be more aggressive later in the game. Heliot Ramos<\/strong> hit a game tying HR in the 7th and Thairo Estrada<\/strong> delivered the death blow with a 3-run shot in the top of the 9th to help the Giants get a win on the opening leg of a 5-game road trip that includes a Negro League tribute game at Rickwood Field<\/a> in Birmingham on Thursday against the Cardinals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n