Drew Smyly, who has pitched extremely well since the first of August, might have had his best outing of all on another gorgeous afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Smyly threw seven strong innings, allowing just one hit, a second-inning double by David Villar (no relation to Jonathan). He struck out eight, and left to a warm ovation after a throwing error allowed Joey Bart to reach base leading off the eighth.
A pair of two-run homers was enough for a 4-2 Cubs win over the Giants, even though the team had some of the same bullpen issues that plagued them Thursday — walks.