Do you believe in the M-word?

Giants 14, Cubs 5

Momentum is one of those words. It makes the number crunchers squirm in their seats. It compels the traditionalists to bark into the abyss about analytics and The Way Things Used To Be.

I'm a believer in momentum—no barking required.

That's why I was certain the Giants were going to lose Tuesday night. With one out to go and the Cubs on the brink of a comeback, Bob Melvin yanked his closer. He turned to Erik Miller to face the Cubs' best hitter, Kyle Tucker, who promptly rolled the first pitch up the middle to tie the game.

MLB says the Cubs win probability at that point was 61%. Momentum Stats N Info says it was 101%. Despite the guaranteed victory, the next hitter struck out to send the game to extras.

The Giants walked the tightrope again in the 10th, stranding the winning run on third with one out. And then our old friend Momentum—the 10th Man, if you will—descended onto the field.

That's the only way to explain the 11th inning, right? The one where the Giants sent 12 men to the plate and scored nine times? The one where they broke the 104-year-old extra-innings runs record at Wrigley Field?

Now that's something worth barking about into the abyss.

Up next: The Giants go for the series win this afternoon. It’ll be Robbie Ray (4-0, 3.05 ERA) against Ben Brown (3-2, 4.88 ERA), who sounds like an MLB The Show Create-a-Player. First pitch at 11:20 am.