Dodgers accept gift, top SF in extras

This page tries to inject some humor into its posts, but this wasn't funny. It took about 19 hours for San Francisco to go from elation to despair. One day after an improbable extra-inning victory over Los Angeles, the Giants gave one away.

Bullpen failures in the ninth and tenth innings combined with an untimely error to produce a 3-2 loss -- the Giants' first of the season at AT&T Park.

For eight innings it looked as though the Giants would again get the most out of the least. They had managed just four hits but two had left the yard, leaving the G-Men just three outs from a 2-1 win before Santiago Casilla walked to the mound.

Casilla surrendered the lead, with help from Kelby Tomlinson, and an inning later  George Kontos served up the game winner to snatch victory away from the Giants and Madison Bumgarner.

Bumgarner was the first in a line of Giants hurlers who spent the day dancing in a mine field. Bumgarner got singed, allowing the entire cast of the new "Captain America" flic to reach base (there are 68 specific characters) but allowing just one run.

LA had an opportunity to do early damage, loading the bases in the first but coming away empty. The Giants similarly squandered opportunity, wasting singles the Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence in the bottom of the frame.

Bumgarner helps his own cause. (Chronicle/SFGate)

It was a different story one inning later. With two down in the Giants' half of the second, MadBum turned around a Clayton  Kershaw offering and launched a no-doubter into the left field seats to stake himself to 1-0 lead.

Bumgarner owns three career hits against Kershaw. Two have left the yard.

Kershaw likely doesn't know whether to cry or laugh when he sees the Giants. The Dodgers' ace threw eight innings of four-hit ball but needed the kindness of strangers to escape with a no decision.

Kershaw was the beneficiary of the Giants' generousity. (Chronicle/SFGate)

The lead didn't last. Singles by three of the first four hitters in the top of the third loaded the bases again. Bumgarner then played Santa Claus, clipping Scott Van Slyke with an 0-2 pitch to tie the contest. Bumgarner came back to fan Trace Thompson and A.J. Ellis -- two of what would be eight strikeout victims -- but the game was even.

It stayed that way until the fifth. Kershaw prevailed in Round Two with Bumgarner, only to see Ehire Adrianza follow with a solo shot to put the Giants in front again.

Bumgarner would exit after six, having allowed just the one run in six hits and a walk, striking out eight.

Sergio Romo, Javy Lopez (1H) and Hunter Strickland (2K, 1BB) got the Giants to the ninth, where it all came unraveled. Cue Phillippe Petit.

Casilla retired his first hitter, then went into full meltdown. He walked Chase Utley on five pitches, gave up an 0-2 single to Yasiel Puig, then for good measure drilled Justin Turner to load the bases. He needed a ground ball in the worst way.

The worst way is what fans got.

Andrian Gonzalez slapped a tailor-made double play ball to a second. Tomlinson booted it. He recovered in time to get Gonzalez, but Utley scored to even the contest.

High-Wire Casilla heads to the mound.

The Giants had a chance to recover in the bottom of the frame. Buster Posey opened with a single off Chris Heston, Friday's goat bidding to repeat. Instead he fanned three straight while multiple Giants were fitted for horns.

George Kontos got one out, then gave up back-to-back doubles to Corey Seager and former Giant Charlie Culberson to give LA the game winner

The loss gave voice to the small but growing social media contingent that has tired of Casilla's inconsistency. He inherited the closer role from Romo two seasons ago by default, and has induced numerous cardiac episodes despite respectable numbers. 

Casilla saved 38 of 33 chances last year, posting a 4-2 record and 2.73 ERA. But his 1.28 WH/IP was the worst among the bullpen regulars, and it's a frightening number to a team trying to hold a one-run lead. It also wasn't an aberration; the 35-year old's career mark is 1.29 over 12 big league seasons.

Some responsibility must be taken by Tomlinson, whose misplay plated the tying run. But it was Casilla who set the stage, essentially gifting LA the bases-filled opportunity.

The loss denied San Francisco a chance to lock up the series and dropped the Giants to 4-2, even with LA atop the NL West. The series concludes Sunday with Johnny Cueto making his home debut.

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