Only one thing can be true: Either Madison Bumgarner is making his final home start in a Giants uniform against the Cubs on Tuesday night, or he's not getting moved at the rapidly approaching trade deadline.
Given San Francisco's recent hot streak -- the Giants have won 16 of their last 19 games and now sit just two games out of a playoff spot -- it doesn't seem nearly as likely that Bumgarner (5-7, 3.65 ERA) will be traded as it did just a few weeks ago. The Giants are fully in the thick of the playoff race, and have their best pitcher taking the mound against Chicago.
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Bumgarner has been on fire as of late, having gone 2-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his past five starts, with 34 strikeouts in 29 innings. The left-hander has posted a 9-2 career record against the Cubs, who have struggled against southpaws so far this season. Chicago ranks 13th out of 15 National League teams with a .242 batting average against lefties.
Opposing Bumgarner for the Cubs will be Yu Darvish (3-4, 4.46 ERA), who has yet to allow a run in 12 innings since the All-Star break. In wins over the Pirates and Reds, Darvish allowed just four hits and struck out 15 to just one walk.
The Giants will go with a lefty-heavy lineup against the Cubs' right-hander, with Alex Dickerson starting in left field and batting cleanup.
Sports
Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. with Giants Pregame Live on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming on the My Teams app.
Here are the full Cubs-Giants lineups:
San Francisco Giants (51-50)
Brandon Belt, 1B
Buster Posey, C
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Alex Dickerson, LF
Brandon Crawford, SS
Mike Yastrzemski, RF
Kevin Pillar, CF
Joe Panik, 2B
Madison Bumgarner, LHP (5-7, 3.65 ERA)
Chicago Cubs (54-46)
Kyle Schwarber, LF
Javier Baez, SS
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Albert Almora Jr., CF
Jason Heyward, RF
Robel Garcia, 2B
Victor Caratini, C
Yu Darvish, RHP (3-4, 4.46 ERA)
