If this is "urgency"; they're screwed

A crucial three-game series opened in Los Angeles on Tuesday and as has been the case for much of the second half, the Giants were a no-show. Ace Madison Bumgarner got spanked, the defense deserted him in a key situation, and the offense missed some opportunities and just flat gave away others; all adding up to a disappointing 9-5 setback.

Why is this man smiling? Uh, he's not. (CSN Bay Area)

Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda did his best to keep San Francisco in the game but to no avail. The game seemed there for the taking but the Giants (68-57) simply refused, falling two full games behind LA in the race for the NL West.

Hard to believe this is the same Giants team that was 8 1/2 games in front on June 27 and led by six at the All-Star Break, isn't it? They've won exactly one series since early July, and that includes splitting last weekend's four-game home set with the Mets after being spotted the first two. Overall they've won just 11 of 35 since the interlude.

To put that in perspective, they'd have to go 25-12 the rest of the way just to finish the "second half" at break even. They've dropped three in a row and seven of nine but the bottom of the tumble no where in sight. Not to get all biblical, but we're looking at Jericho as a comparable collapse.

There were early harbingers of doom in this one. Bumgarner gave up three-straight two-out hits to put the Dodgers on top in the first, and Rob Segedin (who the $&@! is that?) doubled the lead with a solo homer to open the second. 

This is symbolic of something, we think.

Three hits, a walk and a big wild pitch got the Giants even in the third. An infield single from Joe Panik got things started and Denard Span drew a one-out walk. Meada and catcher Yasmani Grandal then had the classic "failure to communicate" on a succession of pitches, one of which reached the backstop to put two men in scoring position. 

Angel Pagan extended his hitting streak to a career-high 19 games (the longest active streak in the Majors) with an RBI single, and Buster Posey delivered the equalizer with an increasingly-rare sight; a two-out hit to add a run. There were two down because Brandon Belt failed to deliver with runners at the corners, striking out for the 48th time in 124 ABs. Why he continues to hit third is a mystery.

As is Bumgarner, who jumped right back into the inferno. With one out Corey Seager burned him with the second of his three hits, a single to left, and Justin Turner promptly singled him to third where he scored easily on Adrian Gonzalez's fly ball. 

Why? Because we last saw a shutdown inning during the Carter Administration, that's why. Through three the Dodgers had clubbed six hits and put up a rally in every frame.

The Giants had a chance to answer right back but blew it because, well, who the hell really knows why? A puzzling and botched (okay, "executionally-challenged") attempt at a double steal with one out and two on saw Nunez gunned down at third as the Giants ran themselves out of the chance. We won't look for a joke. We would, however, like an explanation because that made about as much sense as a Bible study in a brothel.

The wild pitch continued to be a major part of the Giants' arsenal as they tried to fight back. Maeda's third of the night followed another Pagan single. This time Belt came through, hooking a one-out double into the right field corner to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth. A two-out walk and wild pitch number four presented a chance to break it open but Maeda fanned Hunter Pence to leave the Giants (and their fans) wanting. 

If there was a bright side to Pence's failure, San Francisco had left six men aboard at that point, it came from the pitch count. Strike three came on Maeda's 29th pitch of the inning and 103rd (and last) of the game. The Giants had reason to hope attrition might be their friend.

Instead it was Bumgarner who faltered, although he had help. Kike Hernandez singled to open the fifth. He was erased on Howie Kendrick's fielder's choice come-backer but Seager walked to give LA two on with one out. Nunez then tried to bare-hand Justin Turner's nubber but caught nothing but air, loading the bases. Gonzalez made it hurt, singling up the middle to score two. 

Yet another shutdown inning that wasn't. Maeda was actually in position to win it as LA led this turd of a game 5-3. Like his counterpart, Bumgarner made 29 pitches in the fifth inning, and it was his last. He was done after 96 throws. 

We need something positive here. Bumgarner did fan seven and became the fifth Giant with three consecutive 200-K seasons. The others: Juan Marichal, Tim Lincecum, Christy Mathewson and ....Amos Rusie? Yeah, we didn't look that one up; too busy hurling epithets at the plasma. Thanks, CSN.

Jessie Chavez took over for Maeda, and also took Nunez's lead off grounder off his backside. With the infield single, Nunez within one inning proved to be a literal pain in the ass to both teams. A Panik ground out got him to third, and pinch hitter Ehire Adrianza looped a single to right that got the Giants back within a run after 5 1/2.

Cory Gearrin gave that back in six pitches. A leadoff single off the bat of convicted felon/slider Chase Urley was followed by Andrew Toles's double and the gap was again two. Hernandez singled Toles home two pitches later to make it 7-4 LA. There were still three-plus innings to go but the Giants were finished. 

Not to complain, but that made seven hits and five runs in 1⅔ innings since Gearrin returned from the DL. Better look somewhere else for help. Please, not to  Javy Lopez either, who gave up a two-run shot to Toles in the eighth. Span homered with two done in the ninth as mock protest.

Despite going 4-for-10 with RISP the Giants did get nine hits with Span and Pagan notching two each. The problem came on the other side of the ledger with five Giants hurlers giving up 14 hits. The heart of the LA order (Seager, Turner, Gonzalez) alone went 7-for-7 with a walk

For hope as much as for standings, Wednesday's match-up is as close to a "must win" as you can see in late August. The Giants will send Johnny Cueto (14-3, 2.90 ERA) in search of that elusive victory. Rich Hill (9-3, 2.25 ERA), late of the Arhletics, gets the nod for LA.

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