Wednesday’s game with the Reds was rained out.

But it wasn’t raining some 300 miles to the northwest in Chicago where the San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs behind Juan Marichal’s 4-0 shutout. It was Marichal’s third win in three starts. He struck out six while walking three and giving up eight singles.

Marichal (3-0) lowered his ERA to 2.32 in the process.

Dick Ellsworth (1-2) took the loss.

The Giants jumped in front in the top of the first:

• With one out, Harvey Kuenn doubled to left.

• Willie Mays tripled to deep center to make it 1-0.

• Willie McCovey grounded a ball that handcuffed Cubs first-sacker Ernie Banks and allowed Mays to score to make it 2-0 Giants.

That’s one more run than Marichal needed, but the Giants added singletons in the sixth and seventh – one on Jim Ray Hart’s leadoff homer in the sixth. It was the rookie’s second career homer.

The win pulled the Giants within one-half game of the idle Phillies.

(Condensed from 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant by Barry Bowe.)