Belt’s big day overshadows Bryant’s return, SF Giants have seventh five-game win streak of ’21

CHICAGO — Before Brandon Belt buttoned up his gray road jersey on Friday at Wrigley Field, Evan Longoria added an unusual accessory to his teammate’s uniform.

Multiple pieces of black electrical tape were used to create a “C” where a captain’s patch would typically be stitched on a uniform, which was an unusual sight for a Giants team that hasn’t had an official team captain since Darrell Evans and Jack Clark in the 1980s.

“It was a bit of an inside joke,” Longoria said. “We were talking on the plane and the bus yesterday and he self-proclaimed himself the captain of the team so when I came in today I had the idea of putting it on his shirt and he went out and wore it.”

The makeshift ‘C’ was clearly a joke, but Belt performed as if he was trying to make it a permanent fixture on his uniform in the Giants’ 6-1 win over the Cubs on Friday at Wrigley Field.

“I just felt in my heart I’ve been the captain all year,” Belt said. “So I told everybody to let me get off the plane first because I was the team captain and they did. It’s like when people know that you’re the guy, they don’t say anything, they just do it.”

The victory marked the fifth in a row for a Giants team that has now had seven different five-game win streaks during a 2021 season in which the club’s longest losing streak is four games. It also ensured the Giants (91-50) would remain at least 2.5 games ahead of the second-place Dodgers at the end of play Friday and kept them three games ahead of Los Angeles (88-53) in the loss column.

With two walks, a double, and a two-run home run, Belt stole the show during Kris Bryant’s highly anticipated return to Wrigley Field as the first baseman kicked off the game-tying sixth-inning rally before hitting an opposite-field home run to wrap up a four-run seventh-inning rally.

“What a character,” Bryant said of Belt. “I saw that right when I walked in and I thought for sure he would take it off for the game because it’s just some electrical tape, but I just loved that he kept it on.”

Bryant, who was traded from Chicago to San Francisco on July 30, spent the first seven years of his career with the Cubs and was honored during a pregame ceremony with a video tribute and a standing ovation. The four-time All-Star became emotional as he wiped away tears while acknowledging the local fan base, but when the game started, he wasn’t much of a factor in the outcome.

Bryant started in left field Friday so the Giants could have Longoria play third base and the move paid off for manager Gabe Kapler when Longoria drilled a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning off reliever Trevor Megill.

The 421-foot shot into the left field bleachers preceded Belt’s 366-foot homer, which landed in the netting above the ivy hovering behind the left field wall.

With Alex Wood on the COVID-19 list and Johnny Cueto on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow sprain, the Giants had set-up man Dominic Leone serve as the “opener” for the second time in five days as Leone also started Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers.

The Giants have typically used Leone in one-inning spurts this season, but Kapler stretched him on Friday and the right-hander delivered by recording two scoreless innings against the Cubs and retiring all six batters he faced. Leone was the first of eight pitchers the Giants used Friday as Kapler and the bullpen are hoping starter Kevin Gausman will be able to help the group rest with a solid outing in Saturday’s game.

“You’re always going to need each guy to pick up for the reliever that left the game in front of them,” Kapler said. “It probably sounds simple, but it really boils down to preparation and readiness and I think this bullpen is a team-first group.”

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks entered Friday’s start having allowed 18 earned runs in his last 16 innings, but he had no trouble against the Giants as he held San Francisco to just two hits over his first five innings. Belt finally put pressure on Hendricks with a leadoff double to open the sixth before he advanced to third base on a Buster Posey groundout.

That brought Wade to the plate and the hero from Wednesday’s game came through with another big two-strike hit as the left-handed hitting outfielder blooped a single into shallow left field to tie the game at 1-1. Wade was thrown out by 10 feet trying to stretch his single into a double, but his hit did get the Giants back on even footing heading into the late innings.

“Clutch comes in all different shapes and sizes,” Kapler said. “I thought LaMonte had one shape and Brandon had another.”

Longoria, Belt and the back end of the Giants’ bullpen took it from there as the late offensive surge allowed the club to rest closer Jake McGee on Friday.