Bumgarner gives Giants 3-1 lead with 4-0 victory

ARLINGTON, Texas - The City by the Bay has experienced its share of World Series heartbreak, so residents there probably aren't quite ready to begin lining the parade route.

But that moment is tantalizingly close.

Behind a masterful performance by yet another homegrown starter, this time 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner, the Giants moved to within one victory of delivering San Francisco its first title, beating the Rangers, 4-0, in Game 4 last night before 51,920 at Rangers Ballpark.

The Giants lead the best-of-seven series three games to one, with Game 5 Monday night at Rangers Ballpark.

"Up 3-1 is a great position to be in, but teams are capable of winning three straight," said Aubrey Huff, whose two-run homer in the third inning made it 2-0. "We have to come out as if we're down 1-3."

They'll have to beat Cliff Lee a second time in this series to wrap it up in Texas, but even if the Rangers win behind their ace, the way they've hit - or haven't hit - so far, it is difficult to imagine them winning twice at AT&T Park. Especially with the Giants' Matt Cain, who pitched 72/3 scoreless innings in Game 2, set to start Game 6.

"We have baseball left," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, echoing what he said after Game 2 when his team went up 2-0. "We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We've got a tough pitcher tomorrow, a great team we're playing. Right now we still have work ahead of us. It's a seven-game series."

Rangers manager Ron Washington said of the Giants' rotation: "It's certainly been pitching as advertised."

Still, Bochy's pitching staff is why this feels much different from when the Giants experienced their most recent World Series hurt - in 2002, when they led the Angels three games to two before losing twice in Anaheim. In Game 6, the Giants took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh and a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth before the Angels rallied for a 6-5 win, forcing Game 7.

San Francisco also lost in the World Series in 1989 and 1962. The Giants won their last world championship in 1954, when they played in New York.

Bumgarner, the youngest pitcher to start a World Series game since Fernando Valenzuela in Game 3 in 1981, dominated the Rangers, allowing three hits and two walks in eight innings before giving way to Brian Wilson. "I try to go out there and tell myself it's just another game," Bumgarner said. "Then look back after it's over with and hopefully it was a good result."

Bumgarner didn't allow a hit until Michael Young's infield single to lead off the fourth. The Rangers didn't get a runner to second until Nelson Cruz's two-out single in the seventh put runners on first and second.

"That kid, I can't say enough about what he did tonight," Bochy said. "I mean, 21-year-old kid on that stage pitching like that. He had it all working."

Huff, shifted to DH after starting the first three games at first base, gave Bumgarner all the support he would need with a two-run homer to rightfield on Tommy Hunter's first pitch to him in the third inning. It came on a belt-high cutter over the middle of the plate and was Huff's first postseason homer.

Andres Torres, who doubled in the third and scored on Huff's homer, added an RBI double with two outs in the seventh. Buster Posey's homer off Darren O'Day in the eighth made it 4-0.

It will be up to Lee to extend the Rangers' first World Series appearance at least a game longer. "We feel pretty good about him being out there tomorrow," Washington said. "Once again, we've got to put some runs on the board. Tonight we didn't."