SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants had an opportunity to do something they hadn't done in almost two years.
Sweep a four-game series.
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But it wasn't to be as the Giants lost 5-3 to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings on Thursday at Oracle Park.
After winning the first three games against the Cubs (38-44) this week at Oracle Park, the Giants (39-43) sent right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks (ND, 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 94 pitches) to the mound against Chicago left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga (ND, 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 93 pitches).
Hicks and the Giants offense found themselves in an early hole, but once again chipped away and tied the game late before a 10th-inning collapse ruined any chance of a sweep.
Ian Happ's two-run homer off Luke Jackson in the 10th inning proved to be the different. The Giants put two runners on the bottom half of the inning, but Wilmer Flores popped out to end the game.
San Francisco Giants
Here are three takeaways from the Giants' loss to the Cubs:
Realistic expectations for Hicks
Hicks' transition from a reliever to a starter was seamless throughout most of the first half. However, he now has reached a new career high in innings pitched (85 2/3) and the wear-and-tear of being a starter might be rearing it's ugly head.
Hicks surrendered five runs, six hits and three walks in four innings of work in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. It was his worst outing of the season and a sign that the 27-year-old flamethrower might be coming back down to Earth.
He cruised through the first two innings on Thursday, but ran into trouble in the top of the third. A two-run home run off the bat of Nico Hoerner and a Seiya Suzuki RBI triple gave the Cubs an early 3-0 lead.
Hicks recovered nicely though and got through five innings, surrendering just the three runs. A decent outing and exactly what the Giants need from him. It's unrealistic for San Francisco to expect him to pitch like he did in April, and Thursday's outing probably is a preview of what they should expect the rest of the season as they continue to keep a close eye on his workload.
The lightening rod
Luis Matos got his first extended look with the Giants this season on May 12. Two days later, San Francisco dipped to six games below .500 after an ugly 10-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 14 at Oracle Park.
Matos went on to win NL Player of the Week honors on May 20, proving to be a key contributor in the Giants' midseason turnaround that saw them climb to two games above .500 on May 28.
The 22-year-old then struggled mightily in late May and early June, resulting in him being optioned to Triple-A on June 5.
Matos, with the Giants sitting five games below .500, was recalled Saturday and once again is providing a similar spark as he did just one month ago. He has seven hits in 17 at-bats since his promotion, including a go-ahead homer in Wednesday's win over the Cubs.
It certainly wasn't pretty, but he contributed another key RBI on Thursday.
The Giants once again are playing more like themselves, with more energy, and Matos at least has a little bit to do with that.
Shota's revenge?
The Giants aren't the only team kicking themselves for not going harder after Imanaga this offseason. After pitching like an early NL Cy Young favorite to begin the season, Imanaga struggled mightily in his last start against the New York Mets on Friday, surrendering 10 earned runs in three innings.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recently explained why the Giants were hesitant to sign Imanaga -- who inked a modest four-year, $53 million contract with Chicago on Jan. 11 -- claiming the team's pitch-grade models "loved" the 30-year-old Japanese pitcher but San Francisco's scouting department had its reservations. Chalk that up as a win for the computers.
Imanaga returned mostly to form on Thursday, silencing the Giants' bats through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. His outing didn't end well, but he proved once again that he was worth the offseason gamble.