IT’S AS EASY AS 1-2-3
How Cubs’ Darvish has gone from disappointment to ‘animal’ since the All-Star break
SAN FRANCISCO — The story of everything that matters this side of Los Angeles in the National League for the next week, if not the rest of the season, might be on display Tuesday in San Francisco.
That’s when Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish, whose last two starts finally began to support his intent to lead a playoff push this season, faces Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who might be making his final home start with the team.
The Giants might be the most intriguing team to watch as the trade deadline nears and buyers wait for the direction they plan to take, with perhaps nobody as intriguing as Bumgarner if the hottest team in the NL decides to sell.
From a Cubs perspective, however, all eyes should be on Darvish, regardless of whether they have Giant bones to pick for left-handed bullpen help by next week (Will Smith, Tony Watson).
The enigmatic, bigmoney right-hander is on a scoreless twostart roll and has a chance for a career first if he can make it three in a row Tuesday. It would be a feat that finally might build enough trust in the faithful (and team officials) to believe he can have an impact befitting his contract when the Cubs need him most the next two months.
‘‘Absolute swagger,’’ Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of what he sees in Darvish these days. ‘‘When he walked off the mound the other day [after the second scoreless start], I thought to myself, ‘That’s probably what he looked like in Japan several years ago, winning all those MVPs.’ Just different.’’
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said Darvish is ‘‘more of an animal on the mound.’’ Maddon said he’s more ‘‘calculating’’ between pitches, leading to more confidence and command. Darvish said he’s feeling ‘‘120 percent’’ physically and mentally.
‘‘It’s perfect,’’ he said. ‘‘Everything.’’ Never mind what that might mean for a team trying to pull away in the National League Central and put itself in position for a strong October run.
The biggest question might be: How the hell did that happen?
This was a guy who melted as soon as he got to Chicago last season, eventually felt a twinge in his surgically repaired right elbow and made only eight starts.
Even this season, he had a 5.01 ERA and an NL-leading 20 home runs allowed at the All-Star break, without so much as back-toback quality starts — or a home victory — since signing with the Cubs.
If any semblance of this two-start ‘‘trend’’ holds, the mile markers on Darvish’s road to productivity started with deciding independently to fire his Japanese interpreter and speak English with Chicago media.
What quickly followed was a swagger in spring training and a sense of humor that was increasingly revealed.
And then:
1. Slow-hand Yu. After spending his first eight starts of the season leading the majors in walks and fighting to pick up his tempo