http://0rz.tw/wp75M Giants upbeat despite walk-off loss By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 6/30/2011 12:51 AM ET CHICAGO -- To paraphrase the question that presidential candidates ask voters, are the Giants better off now than they were a year ago? Mostly, yes, though Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs reminded San Francisco of the offensive flaws that have marred an otherwise impressive followup to last year's World Series conquest. The Giants reached the regular season's halfway mark with a 46-35 record and a 2 1/2-game lead over Arizona in the National League West. They reached this juncture displaying the impressive pitching that has become their hallmark. Tim Lincecum strengthened his case for a fourth consecutive trip to the All-Star Game by striking out nine in seven solid innings. But the Giants also resumed their struggles at the plate, one day after accumulating 19 runs and 30 hits in their day-night doubleheader sweep. They mustered three hits in eight-plus innings off Cubs starter Ryan Dempster and trailed 1-0 before Emmanuel Burriss grounded an RBI single in the ninth inning to forge a tie. No wonder the Giants and San Diego share the unwanted distinction of being the NL's lowest-scoring teams. Pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez's two-out single off Sergio Romo in the Cubs' half of the ninth broke the deadlock and ended San Francisco's seven-game winning streak. But the Giants remained upbeat as they pondered their first-half efforts. Last year at this time they owned a 41-40 mark and occupied fourth place in the West. Asked what he thinks the Giants must accomplish in the second half to return to the postseason, manager Bruce Bochy said, "Keep doing what we're doing. Guys are doing a good job of finding ways to win ballgames. Sure, we'd like to have the offense get a little more consistent. Hopefully the pitching keeps doing what it's doing and gives us a chance." Injuries haven't decimated the Giants, but they've certainly impeded the club's progress. Five members of the Opening Night lineup went on the disabled list during the first half, including catcher Buster Posey (out for the season) and second baseman Freddy Sanchez (likely out for the season). But, as outfielder Pat Burrell said, "[That's] no excuse. Guys get hurt. It's part of the game." Superb pitching has been integral to the Giants' overall game since 2009. With the bullpen matching the rotation's excellence, despite Romo's lapse Wednesday night, the staff looks better than ever with a 3.20 ERA that ranks third in the league. By now, the imbalance between San Francisco's hitting and pitching is a tired story. "If we can find a way to score three runs, our record's pretty good," Burrell said. But if the offense doesn't improve, either on its own or through a trade, the Giants will be forced to hope that their pitchers can maintain their excellence through September. It's inevitable to wonder whether that's possible. Lincecum expressed impregnable confidence. "I don't have a lot to say to those people who are going to doubt us, obviously," he said. "It's hard to hear people say we can't do this or we can't do that. But that's what people said last year and we won the World Series. When a team has that kind of experience and know-how, you just do what you have to do, I guess. We'll use that negative as a motivation for us to show them wrong." Wednesday, the Giants basically performed in typical fashion. They kept the score close and rallied late. This time, they couldn't complete their comeback. Trailing, 1-0, the Giants pulled even in the ninth. Dempster, who had retired 20 batters in row while allowing only two hits, yielded a leadoff double to pinch-hitter Burrell and was relieved by right-hander Carlos Marmol. "He didn't get a win but it's not going to take away from that performance," said Cubs manager Mike Quade, praising Dempster. Andres Torres struck out, but Burriss singled up the middle on a 3-2 pitch, scoring pinch-runner Bill Hall. Burriss went to second base on the throw home. Pablo Sandoval drew an intentional walk before Aubrey Huff hit a single on a fly to short right-center field that Tony Campana dove for but couldn't quite grab. Thinking that the ball might be caught, Burriss stayed near second base and advanced only to third, loading the bases. "I really didn't think it was caught, but I knew it was going to be something close," Burriss said. "Nobody could tell what was happening until it happened." What happened next was Cody Ross' double-play grounder that ended the threat. Pretty soon it was all over. Campana led off with an infield single off Romo (3-1) and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout before Ramirez lined a Romo slider cleanly to left field. "Today it just came down to execution," said Romo, who had held right-handed batters such as Ramirez to a .123 average (8-for-65) before Wednesday. "I didn't execute. Hitters hit bad pitches. They hit mistakes." Fortunately for the Giants, their mistakes have been minimized so far. Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. --

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