That karma stuff can be harsh; We like harsh

One pitch, one run. That's a crappy way to begin a weekend Then momentum didn't shift so much as do a triple axle then dive head-first into the San Francisco dugout. Spotting Arizona a fast two-run lead, the Giants used a potion that was one-part anger and one part redemption has they upended Arizona 6-2 at AT&T Park on Friday.

Everybody gets a ribbon! (AP Photo)

With their 55th win the Giants moved to 22 games over .500, a season best, and lead the NL West by 6 1/2 games. Los Angeles kept pace, snapping a three-game skid with a 10-6 win over San Diego, and we're still not convinced wins over the Friars should count.

Jeff Samardzija had the June from Hell. July wasn't exactly off to a rousing start as The Shark gave up two runs on three hits as part of a 31-pitch first inning. The stumble put the Giants in hole before his teammates got to swing a bat in anger...and anger did come.

Jean Segura took Samardzija's first offering deep into the tunnel down the left field line and probably threatened Dave Flemming's car.. A walk and two singles, the second of which allowed Yasmany Tomas to drive in a run had fans squirming in their seats and Arizona up 2-zip. Patrick Corbin retired the Giants in the bottom half on just 10 pitches, and it looked like it was gonna be a long night.

It didn;t feel much better in the second. Samardzija got an out on a sparkling Brandon Crawford-to Brandon Belt combo then gave up a single to Corbin, hit Segura with a pitch and got Michael Bourn on a fielder's' choice to put runners at the corners for slugger a noted Giants nemesis Paul Goldschmidt.

"Hello, suicide hotline? Yeah, Serious Giants fan here. Oh, you think I should jump? Gotcha."

Goldschmidt struck out. Thank goodness. It was a little damp on the ledge.

Quinn Wolcott directs Bruce Bochy to the garlic fries. (Getty Images)

Then the real fireworks began. Corbin threw at Buster Posey. Twice. Once up and in, the second behind him. Both benches were warned and Bruce Bochy got tossed. What?! 

And we thought umpiring had been bad before. The clear assumption by the Snakes and well, a snake, was that Segura was hit intentionally. At that point Samardzija couldn't find the strike zone with a flashlight and GPS but whatever. Bochy had every right to be streamed. Why not issue the warning after the first retaliatory pitch instead of giving Corbin a second shot? Only plate umpire Quinn Wolcott can answer, and that explanation may have to wait until someone extracts his head from it's uncomfortable resting place. Dude, Let us know when you've scheduled that navel-plexiotomy.

How can a team respond to that? Oh, really. That'll do just fine.

Corbin completed the walk to Posey. Brandon Crawford didn't walk. You get to trot when you line one into the arcade. Tie game. Don't wake sleeping Giants, especially those who just got screwed out of an All-Star Game appearance.

That was the jump start. Samardzija set the Diamondbacks down on eight pitches in the third, then doubled to open the home half of the inning. A grounder got him to third and he should have scored on a Pagan screamer but Corbin's knee got in the way. Karma, man!

Pagan was retired 1-3 but Belt walked to put runners at the corners for Posey. The All-Star catcher grounded to third but Jake Lamb air-mailed the throw. That's E-5, runners still at the corners, 3-2 San Francisco.

Hey, someone High Five me for that payback shot. (AP Photo)

Make that 4-2. Crawford again, this time a single through the right side to plate Belt the All-Star. Arizona had it coming.

After his shaky start, Samardzija settled in, at one point using his own efforts and some stellar defense to sit down 11 hitters in a row. Corbin, meanwhile, had matched Samardzija's 31 pitches in the third and was in the 90s by the end of the fifth. Ah, the foot's on the other hand now, isn't it?

Walks to Belt and Crawford were sandwiched around a Posey single to load the bags with one out as Corbin's pitch count crawled toward triple digits. Mac Williamson broke his bat on a grounder to third (Belt was forced at home) but Grant Green walked to plate run number five. After 4 2/3 innings and 98 tosses, it was Corbin who got the early exit. So did manager Arizona a Manager Chip Hale, who used the pitching change as occasion to argue balls and strikes. Why not? Wolcott already had the thumb warmed up.

We weren't really gonna jump; just enjoying the view.

Acting Manager Ron Wotus hooked Samardzija with runners at the corners (walk, single) and one out in the seventh, turning the game over to the bullpen. We saw how well that worked last week. Derek Law whiffed Segura on a 3-2 curve in the dirt and got Bourn on a grounder to short. Crisis averted.

Sergio Romo, you remember Sergio Romo, right? He was called on to start the eighth and gave up a lead-off single to Goldschmidt before successive strikeouts of Lamb, Wellington Castillo and Chris Hermann allowed Samardzija to squirm a little less.

San Francisco added on when Gregor Bianco, batting for Romo, unloaded his first career pinch-hit homer with one out in the eighth. 

Up 6-2, Wotus tried to get through the ninth without his shaky "closer", but Hunter Strickland wasn't exactly a rock. He gave up a lead-off single to Brandon Drury then two shots to center, the second of which Denard Span backhanded at the wall and nearly doubled off Drury. Another liner to center ended it, with the last out coming off the bat of Segura. Ah, symmetry.

Samardzija (9-5) wound up allowing just five hits, striking out six and walking three. Combined the pen allowed two hits and struck out four without a walk in 2 2/3 innings.

Crawford led the sticks with three hits, three RBIs and a run scored. No, he's no all-star. Stinking ballot stuffers. What is it with Chicago and elections? It's not like we did that for Brandon Be... never mind. Samardzija, Pagan, Posey and Ruben Tejada also hit safely.

The swing game of the series is Saturday afternoon with Jake Peavy (5-7, 5.14 ERA) clashing with Arizona's Robbie Ray (4-7. 4.78).

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