Bumgarner, Giants looking to push back against Chicago Cubs

Thanks to an offense that can't hit and an incredibly poor job of pitching from Jeff Samardzija, the San Francisco Giants are down 2-0 to the Chicago Cubs in the National League division series.

The Giants have their backs firmly pressed against the wall, no doubt, but as they face elimination in Game 3 Monday night at AT&T Park, they can make a realistic push back because Madison Bumgarner is starting.

"He's good," Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters at Sunday's workout in San Francisco. "It's not just purely his stuff, it's his competitive nature. I think that's what gets lost in this a lot with what we do.

"Everybody's always analyzing numbers and pitches and how he does this and spin rotation and whatever. This guy competes. That's what sets him apart."

A five-time all-star, Bumgarner has the rare ability to take his game to a higher level in the postseason, and he got the Giants into the division series with a complete-game shutout against the New York Mets last week in the NL wild-card game.

The big left-hander has not allowed a run over his last 23 playoff innings, and he's a lifetime 8-3 with a 1.94 ERA in 15 postseason games (13 starts).

"It starts with talent with him," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "Sometimes that gets lost. This guy is really, really talented. He has really good stuff. Great stuff. And like all good or great players, he's got a tremendous makeup. He's got the mental toughness to go with it. He's got that emotional control at performing under pressure that goes with great players."

An ego is about the only thing Bumgarner is lacking, and that also explains why he has been such a dominant postseason pitcher.

Maddon compares the Giants' ace to Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford, but Bumgarner isn't measuring his stat lines with the three all-time greats.

"As soon as you start buying into that, that's probably going to take a turn," Bumgarner said Sunday. "So I'm just going to go out there and keep going at it the way I have, and whatever happens, happens.

"The thing is, when you come in for games like tomorrow and games like the wild-card game, you have to have your stuff, have you to have your best stuff. You can't go out there and just try to get by. Chances are it's not going to work out for you."

While the Cubs have a commanding lead in the best-of-five series, they've only outscored San Francisco 6-2 in the first two games.

Know this about the Giants - they have won nine straight elimination games in the playoffs, and that tells you they're not going to be an easy out, even with a lineup full of easy outs.

"There hasn't been a whole lot of talk because everybody knows what kind of spot we're in," said Bumgarner, who allowed 2 runs in 13⅔ innings while defeating the Cubs in both starts during the regular season.

"The only thing we can do is come in and win tomorrow. That's it. Win or go home. The only thing he we can do is focus on winning tomorrow. If we do that, then we get to do it again and so on."

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