Imrem: Arrieta has Cubs' latest magic trick

The 2016 Cubs keep coming up with new magic tricks.

They have needed all of them against the Giants in the NLDS.

Like Javier Baez's game-winning home run in Game 1.

Then a couple pitchers drove in three runs in Game 2, two by Kyle Hendricks and the other on reliever Travis Wood's home run.

Not to be outdone in Game 3, starting pitcher Jake Arrieta's trick topped them all Monday night in San Francisco.

It wasn't just that Arrieta hit a three-run homer to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead and three legs up on sweeping the series.

It was that it came against Madison Bumgarner in a series in which runs were hard to come by.

The ace left-hander hadn't give up a run in his previous 24 innings of Giants' elimination games.

It would have been surprising if Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo or Addison Russell even drove in a run against Bumgarner.

But Arrieta not only drove in a run, and not only drove in three, but he did it with a screaming liner into the left-field stands.

Bumgarner received the majority of the attention before the game, but Joe Maddon didn't think that would impact how Arrieta went about his business.

"If I had a bet," the Cubs manager said, "it would not be any more inspirational than just him doing his own work and his own prep."

Arrieta the pitcher did his best to protect what Arrieta the hitter provided for him, and he left after six innings with the Cubs leading 3-2.

That's where the score stood until the Giants scored three runs in the eighth against the Cubs bullpen to take a 5-3 lead.

Bumgarner pitched five innings, yielding only those three runs. He threw 101 pitches, 28 coming in the second inning in which Arrieta did his damage.

Before Arrieta's home run, there was an aura of invincibility surrounding Bumgarner and a mystique surrounding the Giants, who were down 0-2 in the series but had won the World Series in each of the past three even-numbered years.

During those seasons, the Giants won nine straight elimination game like Monday night's.

It clearly takes a stake in the heart to shake this team.

This is the next even-numbered year and these still are the Giants.

But peruse the current Giants' batting order and you wonder how they ever score a run.

Catcher Buster Posey might be the only Giant who could start for the Cubs. OK, so right fielder Hunter Pence could, too, over Jason Heyward. but otherwise the Giants don't have another position player who could start for the Cubs."

Shortstop is a consideration. Brandon Crawford is a terrific fielder and good hitter who led the Giants in runs batted in, but with a mere 84.

Russell, the Cubs shortstop, drove in 95 runs despite hitting only .238.

So, Posey could play for the Cubs, though their three catchers are pretty good; Pence gets the nod in right field because of Heyward's struggles at the plate; and the Cubs are better everywhere else including shortstop with Russell.

None of that takes into account that Jake Arrieta just might hit a three-run homer.

Add the Cubs' depth of starting pitching and the question is why the teams even bothered to play the NLDS.

The answer is that the resourceful Giants proved in 2010, '12 and '14 that the best team doesn't always win.

mimrem@dailyherald.com