Punchless Giants waste Bumgarner's gem...again.

The home run burned Madison Bumgarner again, but the Giants' latest fiasco was hardly his fault. San Francisco is now 6-16 since the All-Star break, done in Sunday by Wilson Ramos's seventh-inning long ball that gave Washington a 1-0 win in D.C.

That's not the story.

The Giants again wasted scoring chance after scoring chance, as has been their modus operandi through this extended death spiral. On this date they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position; and that "1" failed to produce a score thanks to some questionable decision making by third base coach Roberto Kelly.

Bumgarner hasn't won since July 10 despite having gone at least seven innings in three of five starts. One bad night in Philly aside, he hasn't been the problem. The team behind him simply isn't, by any measure, getting the job done. Remember that "best team in baseball" stuff from a month ago? Right now there are a couple of Junior Giants programs that might give them a run for their money.

God, we wish that was hyperbole. We wish.

On Sunday Bumgarner went eight innings only because the Nats didn't have to swing a ninth time thanks to a feckless San Francisco attack. Actually, attack probably is the wrong word for it. The Giant offense treats Bumgarner like the guy who popped for the tux rental, corsage and limo only to get stood up on prom night.

That prompts a question: since Matt Cain is back, can someone take the curse off Bumgarner? Maybe that's no so much a question as it is a plea for divine intervention.

MadBum threw 100-plus pitches for the 18th time this season and got nothing to show for it but his seventh loss. In five of those he's allowed three earned runs or less, and Sunday was the second time he took a 1-0 loss.

Two hits, one run, seven strikeouts, 113 pitches. On any other day (or team, it seems) they'd be singling his praises on SportsCenter. Instead tonight's talk will be of hard luck, poor support, and yet another Giants loss. The decision by Bobby Evans and Brian Sabean not to add a bat at the trade deadline looks more and more foolish with every game.

Chew on this: Bumgarner has a 2.77 ERA over his last nine starts. The Giants are 2-7 in those contests.

Mark Melancon, the closer the Giants didn't add because Satiago Casilla would have had a hissy fit, struck out the side in the ninth just to add to the 'pissed-off' value. Of course, who needs a closer when you can't get a lead?

Tanner Roark continued to make the Giants look silly, as if that had been a challenge these days. A week ago he gave up a run over seven innings to beat the Giants at AT&T. This time he blanked them through seven before turning the ball over to Shawn Kelly (1IP, 1K) and Melancon for the final indignities.

The Giants did have two glorious opportunities to dent the scoreboard. Both fizzled: the latter due to a great defensive play and the former because, well, just because.

We feel your pain, big guy. (Twitter)

Buster Posey doubled in the fourth and was headed home when Joe Panik lined a two-out single to center. Two out, Posey going on contact. Now Posey isn't exactly swift but he doesn't run like his trailer dropped its load. Washington center fielder Ben Revere isn't exactly known for his arm. Well, it is if you're asking about who to run on.

Third Base Coach Roberto Kelly had Posey slam on the breaks. Revere's throw was weak and wide of the mark, but the opportunity was lost. Two-out hits have been hard to come by and expecting a pair was too much. Gregor Blanco, who has hit right around his weight since the break (and the Giants list him at 175), grounded out meekly to end the threat.

But the killer came in the seventh. The Giants had runners at second and third, again with two out, when Belt launched a shot to center field. Revere made the twisting, inning-ending catch with his back to the plate, 404 feet from home plate. Suitably inspired, Ramos homered in the bottom of the frame and the Giants didn't collect another base runner. BTW, Belt's shot went farther than Ramos's (398 feet) because that's just how it goes these days.

The Giants outhit Washington 5-2, like that matters any more. Posey, Panik, Bumgarner, Angel Pagan and Eduardo Nunez reached safely, with Posey's double the only extra-base hit. Belt and Blanco drew walks. Yay.

The Giants are still 15 games above .500 (63-48) but fading fast. This is no longer a slump but a full-on collapse, and it has come in every phase of the game both on and off the field. Their lead in the NL West, recently as gaudy as eight games, is now just a single game as Los Angeles closed the gap with an 8-5 win over visiting Boston.

Two tasks lie directly ahead. First, the Giants need to get back on the winning track with Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.73 ERA) taking the ball Monday against Jose Fernandez (12-6, 2.87 ERA) in Miami. Second, the front office needs to make some changes because this ain't working.

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