SAN FRANCISCO — Two bloops, a bunt and a blast from Matt Chapman produced more runs in the fifth inning Sunday afternoon than the Giants had scored in their previous two games.
That was all the Giants needed behind Logan Webb, who continued to dazzle in his fourth start back from a bout with bursitis in his push-off knee, to beat the Cubs, 5-1.
Webb has allowed two earned runs over 27 ⅓ innings since returning from the injured list and none to the Cubs on Sunday over eight innings, scattering seven hits and striking out seven.
Manager Tony Vitello went to the mound after an error allowed the Cubs to get on the board and left two runners on with two outs in the eighth and Webb’s pitch count over 100.
It turned into a quick visit: Webb remained in the game.
Moments later, his mouth was agape with both arms raised in the air.
Vitello’s decision to stick with Webb, a reversal from his previous start, almost immediately backfired when the very next batter, Michael Busch, lined his 106th pitch of the afternoon into the right field corner. It appeared destined to drive in two more runs.
But Jung Hoo Lee gave chase and tracked down the ball before crashing into the wall, leaving Webb amazed and the 40,000-plus on hand chanting Lee’s name.
The catch preserved the lead that Lee helped build in the fifth.
After having his 18-game hit streak broken Friday, Lee was back in the hit column with a 2-for-4 effort, including a broken-bat bloop single to begin the fifth. Daniel Susac bunted him over to second, where he was in position to score when Drew Gilbert, the No. 9 hitter, found more open territory with a shallow flare down the left field line.
That was enough to open a 1-0 lead, and Chapman quickly made it 3-0 with a line drive over the center field wall for his seventh homer of the season — and sixth this month.
Looking the part of a leadoff hitter, Chapman drew his first of two walks and scored his second run of the game on a single from Bryce Eldridge in the seventh to make it 4-0.
It was Chapman’s first time hitting leadoff in three seasons with the Giants and only the third time he had batted first in 1,221 games at the big-league level.
Vitello had tried Luis Arraez in the top spot with Eldridge batting second the past two days but shifted each player down a slot with Chapman occupying the top of the order.
Something about this configuration worked: It produced more than one run for the first time since Wednesday. The Giants had been held to one run in their two losses to begin the series.
Rather than opt for a traditional leadoff hitter, Vitello has tried to use the top spot of the lineup to maximize the number of at bats for their hottest hitter.
For a while, that was Casey Schmitt, who’s found himself in a bit of a slump (5-for-34) and never quite profiled as a leadoff man with his aggressive approach.
Lately, it’s been Chapman.
Dating back to May 17, Chapman is batting .344 (31-for-90). His home run was his 14th extra-base hit in that span. His two RBIs give him 24 in 26 games, and he’s scored 19 runs.
The Giants are still waiting for all their big three infielders to get hot at the same time.
As Chapman has heated up, the Giants have gotten little from Rafael Devers or Willy Adames, who combined to go 5-for-43 (.116) over the course of the six-game home stand.
The Giants board a charter flight to Atlanta, where they have the day off Monday before beginning a six-game road trip with three against the NL East-leading Braves.
Adrian Houser, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp are lined up to start the first series of the trip.
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