By Jeremy Kahn

AP photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner delivers against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Wrigley Field on Saturday

When you need a big win in the road, you better turn to your ace to take the ball and that is exactly what Bruce Bochy did.

Madison Bumgarner allowed two runs on five hits, and struck out 10, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-2 at Wrigley Field.

It was the fourth win in his last five starts for Bumgarner, who is now 14-8 on the season, as the Giants bounce from two straight one run losses to open this pivotal four-game series.

Jake Arrieta lost for the first time since July 30, as the Cubs saw their five-game winning streak cone to an end.

Arrieta gave up three runs (two earned) and four hits in six innings of work, as he fell to 16-6 on the season.

The Giants defense came up huge in the bottom of the ninth inning, as they attempted a comeback victory.

Anthony Rizzo came off the bench to earn a walk off of Giants reliever Will Smith, and then Dexter Fowler laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, as Eduardo Nunez threw to Joe Panik for the first out and then came the play of the game.

Panik threw to Brandon Crawford, who snuck in behind Rizzo, who was caught in no man’s land and Crawford tagged out the leaning Rizzo to complete the double play. Santiago Casilla then notched his 30th save when Kris Bryant lined out to Crawford to end the game.

That was not the only chance for the Cubs to possibly win the game, as Bumgarner struck out Matt Szczur for the third time in the bottom of the sixth inning and two on. Hunter Strickland got Addison Russell to flyout to Hunter Pence with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning.

Pence drove in the first Giants run of the game in the top of the first inning, as he reached on a Tommy La Stella throwing error that allowed Angel Pagan to score from third base.

Nunez drove in what proved to be the winning run, as he drove in Panik with a single in the top of the fourth inning.

Arrieta helped out his own cause, as he drove in a run with a single off of Bumgarner to score Javier Baez in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Crawford then stretched the lead up to two runs once again, as he scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth inning.

Baez cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the sixth, as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Ben Zobrist from third base.