CHICAGO -- Madison Bumgarner facing Jake Arrieta had an October feel to it, and the San Francisco Giants performed like they belong in the postseason.Bumgarner outpitched Arrieta with 10 strikeouts over six innings, and San Francisco pounced on rare miscues by the Chicago Cubs in a 3-2 victory on Saturday.Bumgarner (14-8) allowed two runs and five hits in his fourth victory in his last five starts. San Francisco, trying to catch Los Angeles in the NL West, rebounded from a pair of one-run losses in the first two games of the four-game set against the major league leaders.Were going up against a team that, I dont think theyve clinched yet, but theyre going to be there, Bumgarner said. And were planning on being there. So its a playoff-type of matchup.The Giants had a major league-best 57-33 record at the All-Star break. But they are just 16-29 since that point, leaving them looking up at the Dodgers and clinging to the top spot in the wild-card race.It was one we definitely wanted and needed, catcher Buster Posey said. It was good to score some runs off Arrieta and then for our bullpen to hold the lead.Arrieta (16-6) was charged with three runs -- two earned -- and four hits in six innings in his first loss since July 30. Chicago had won five in a row overall.A little bad luck, a little missed execution, Arrieta said.The Cubs had one last chance when pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo led off the ninth with a walk against Will Smith. Rizzo advanced on a sacrifice by Dexter Fowler, but the big first baseman was caught off second on the play.Thats huge, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Heart of the order up, man on second, its a different game.Kris Bryant then hit a soft lineout to shortstop Brandon Crawford, handing Santiago Casilla his 30th save.Chicago also had an opportunity in the sixth, but Bumgarner struck out Matt Szczur for the third time with two on. Hunter Strickland got Addison Russell to line to right with the bases loaded in the seventh.The sputtering Giants had dropped three of four and eight of 12 overall.Right now as bad as it seems, were still in a better spot than we were in 2014, Bumgarner said of their last World Series title season. Weve still got the division in our sights for sure.The Cubs entered with a 16 1/2-game lead in the NL Central thanks to a number of tremendous defensive plays in the past week. But they were sloppy on a cloudless day with the wind blowing in as two of the games top pitchers squared off.Third baseman Tommy La Stellas two-out throwing error in the first made it 1-0. The Giants scored in the fourth with the help of a passed ball and added a run in the sixth on Arrietas second wild pitch.The Cubs got within 2-1 in the fifth thanks to Javier Baezs hustle. He led off with a single, stole second and scored from there when third baseman Eduardo Nunez was unable to barehand Arrietas slow roller.Angel Pagan doubled and scored on the error by La Stella, who was a late addition after Jorge Soler was scratched with an ingrown toenail. Soler hit for La Stella in the fifth and struck out with one on.The Giants took a 2-0 lead on Nunezs RBI single in a fourth that included a walk and wild pitch by Arrieta and Willson Contreras passed ball.Its not very common with our group of guys, Arrieta said of the mistakes. You dont expect to see those things often. We had opportunities regardless.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: Reliever Derek Law (elbow) hasnt begun throwing yet, but Bochy said they expect him to be at full strength when hes eligible to come off the disabled list Sept. 12.Cubs: Setup man Hector Rondon (triceps) threw a 22-pitch simulated game and felt good enough that his rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa was scrapped. Rondon could be activated Monday. Im back to normal, he said.STREAK OVERGiants 1B Brandon Belt dropped Ben Zobrists two-out popup in the first to stop the longest errorless streak in franchise history at 17 games.UP NEXTRHP Johnny Cueto (14-5, 2.98 ERA) looks to rebound from his shortest stint with the Giants when he faces Cubs RHP John Lackey (9-7, 3.41 ERA) on Sunday. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Danny-Shelton-Jersey/ . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Myles-Garrett-Jersey/ . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Kenny-Britt-Jersey/ . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-James-Burgess-Jersey/ . JOHNS, N. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Derrick-Kindred-Jersey/ . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Since the destruction of one of WWEs most beloved tag team trios, The Shield, in 2014, each of its members --?Seth Rollins,?Dean Ambrose, and?Roman Reigns?-- has gone on?to?be?successful as singles wrestlers. While Rollins has risen as one of the New Eras greatest heels over the course of the past two years, and Ambrose has ascended to become a true top babyface (if an unlikely one) as WWE world champion, Reigns character and his portrayal of it have struggled to find footing.The WWE has attempted to make Reigns the most clear-cut good guy imaginable, with his various fights against The Authority -- primarily composed of Rollins,?Triple H?and?Stephanie McMahon?--?standing as his primary storyline over the past two years. The key problem lies in Reigns fan reception when battling at the main card: Hes written to be the kind of face that?John Cena?has represented for the company over the past 11 years.While Reigns faces a similar level of disdain to Cenas from most older fans, he also gets at least a little bit less support from the younger fans that are typically able to balance the Cena sucks chants with Lets go, Cena to articulate just how much support Cena retains to this day.?There have been some signs of a change in Reigns current feud with United States champion?Rusev, as this move feels like a demotion; Reigns has been in the WWE world?championship picture for the past two years, winning the top title three times.Before he can get back to fighting for the top title on his brand, the Universal championship, Reigns still needs a character makeover.These are the hurdles he faces going forward.Problem 1: His opponentsRomans problems as a character begin with his opponents.In the majority of his feuds and premier matches, Reigns has faced off against some of the top headliners the business has to offer -- many of whom hold a significantly higher amount of respect from the WWE Universe. Right from the start, his earliest singles feuds included Rollins,?Randy Orton,?Big Show,?Triple H,?Bray Wyatt?and?Brock Lesnar.The feuds with those aforementioned names have had Reigns, as a character, with his back against the wall. Even against the likes of Rollins and Triple H -- two classic heels in their feuds with Reigns -- the crowd embraced the bad guys, for one reason or another. Reigns failed to garner the intrigue of the fan base, and part of it stems from who he has faced.Problem 2: The writersWWEs writers have given Reigns one of the heaviest uphill battles to becoming a main event contender in recent memory. Rollins hit the right notes early and quickly received a ringing endorsement from live crowds and fans in his new role as the guy you love to hate. Ambrose went through the classic buildup of being a mid-card attraction as United States champion and later Intercontinental champion, before lifting himself up into the main event by winning the WWE world championship.Reigns fight against authority is familiar to WWE fans, and it has worked before. In the Attitude Era, this strategy worked extremely well for Stone Cold Steve Austin, who often feuded with Mr. McMahon, and it was similarly effective for D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels), who did the same. The storyline isnt broken, but the way the writers have approached it with Reigns is.Even in Reigns greatest moments -- his 2015 Royal Rumble win; his Wrestlemania 31 fight with Lesnar; and his big win at Wrestlemania 32 over Triple H -- the reaction from the crowd was tepid; fans either rooted for his well-respected opponents or didnt react at all. Thats not good.Problem 3: The mic workReigns biggest flaw is on the mic, where he lacks the one key component that can get a wrestler to win over fans, no matter how good they are technically in the ring. Being able to talk is what makes some of the best talent in the WWE as good as tthey are.ddddddddddddGetting back to Problem 2, wrestlers who are bad at this have historically had managers for them. For example, Brock Lesnar has struggled at times on the microphone during his current tenure in the WWE, but his manager Paul Heyman more than covers up for his faults -- and makes Lesnar look menacing as the silent and dangerous brawler. Greats like The Undertaker and Kane had Paul Bearer, solving the potential issues their silent demeanor might cause -- and making people excited for their characters. This could work for Reigns, who out of the ex-Shield trio certainly has had the most trouble on the mic.Problem 4: The suspensionOn June 21, Reigns was suspended from the WWE for violating the companys wellness policy. While specifics of the violation are not known, if Reigns and the WWE want him to be the face of the company, representing them poorly does each party no favors.Even though he returned for Battleground and performed well with Ambrose and Rollins for the title, Reigns suspension puts a blemish on his career that he truly couldnt afford at that particular moment, given his current standing with fans.WWE could have rolled with the punches and given in to popular demand, using the incident to push Reigns towards being a heel. It would be a more natural fit, given crowd reactions and the bad guy stigma of a suspension, and the silent persona mixed with certain heel-like elements of his look -- his unkempt beard and all-black gear thats an artifact from when The Shield broke into the WWE the most prevalent among them -- but WWE simply didnt pull the trigger.The solution?For the time being, it appears to be Rusev.Despite the predicament they were in, it looks as if the WWE writers have found a solution for Reigns in the perfect stereotypical heel that Rusev is. Not only does it give Reigns the chance to remain in the spotlight with a title shot (and a potential win) going into one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, but it also gives him a chance to build from the ground up, similar to Ambroses journey.His problems, in the end, arent about his wrestling ability, which has gradually improved over the past year and was fully on display in his feuds with?A.J. Styles?and his Shield brethren. He has shown his prowess as a strong competitor in the ring. His signature moves -- the Superman punch and the spear -- certainly come with charisma and history of their own, although hell inevitably be compared to previous stars, such as Edge, Goldberg and others, who made the move so popular.By fighting someone like Rusev, who is as universally hated by the fan base as any character in the company at this moment, Reigns has the chance to truly rise to the occasion as the kind of good guy that the WWE has wanted him to be since the dissolution of The Shield. The only difference is a big one: Hell get the chance to emerge into that spotlight naturally, rather than being forced there.If he beats Rusev, its possible well see Reigns battle it out with the likes of Wyatt,?Sami Zayn,?Kevin Owens,?Cesaro,?Darren Young?and?Titus ONeil?-- providing ample?opportunity?for?Reigns?to?climb the proverbial ladder and garner some respect from the fans. There are pitfalls to be wary of there too, though: Most of those opponents already have tremendous support from the crowd, and the wrong move could undo the positive steps Reigns has taken of late.A win for Reigns at SummerSlam and a chance to run with the United States championship could be the beginning of the proper reformation of his character.But no matter what, its abundantly clear that Reigns has a long way to go before he reaches the level that the WWE has tried to push him toward as a main event player. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '