Chicago @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 11, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 4, San Francisco 5

If there is one player on the San Francisco Giants who knows what it’s like to be in the race in August and September, it’s Pat Burrell.

Burrell will be looking to lead his inexperienced mates again on Thursday when the Giants close out a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

San Francisco hasn’t had the best week, dropping five of its last eight. Yet, the team still has a chance to take three of four from the Chicago Cubs and go into a weekend showdown with the San Diego Padres with the hope of being in first place on Monday thanks to Burrell.

One of the few veterans on the team with postseason experience, Burrell was a part of the Philadelphia Phillies team that won the World Series in 2008. After being picked up off the scrap heap by the Giants in June, Burrell has provided the club with some much-needed thump in the middle of the lineup.

That was on display Wednesday when Burrell put San Francisco ahead 5-4 in the eighth inning with a solo blast – his eighth since joining the team. He also drove in two runs in the first inning with a single, giving him nine RBIs in the last 11 games.

Between Burrell, Aubrey Huff and rookie Buster Posey, San Francisco is hoping it has enough offensive firepower to make a series run at the postseason. The Giants lead the NL wild card standings by one game and sit 2 1/2 games behind the Padres in the West.

San Francisco will send de facto ace Matt Cain to the mound in the series finale. With Tim Lincecum struggling, Cain has emerged as the most consistent performer on a strong Giants staff. Cain has a career-best 1.14 WHIP to go along with a 3.06 ERA and a .224 batting average against, but a lack of run support has kept the right-hander from piling up the victories.

The San Francisco offense has managed two runs or fewer in 10 of Cain’s starts, including eight of his nine losses. His last time out was no different, as the 25-year-old allowed three runs on six hits but still suffered the loss as the Giants were shut out at Atlanta. He has had plenty of success against the Cubs, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.41 ERA in eight starts.

Chicago will counter with struggling right-hander Randy Wells. Wells has lost his three straight starts, allowing 12 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings over that span. No stranger to poor run support himself, Wells has received two runs or fewer in nine of his 10 losses.

Wells has made one start against San Francisco in his career, getting pounded for five runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings to suffer a loss last September.