This one was definitely for the birds

Wednesday’s action in the NL West played out like a true thriller and by the time it was over the only thing missing was Tippi Hedren. We had birds, bloops blasts and even a Hitchcockian twist in Colorado, but at the end of the day the Giants made up ground on front-running Los Angeles thanks to a 4-2 win over Arizona to split the brief two-game match-up.

Moore finally gave a win to the home crowd. (SF Gate Photo)

Fresh off a near no-hitter in LA, Matt Moore was staked to an early lead and limped through 5 1/3 innings before turning things over to that blasted heart attack of a bull pen and the Giants made some key hits stand up.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers got thumped in Game One of a Day/Night twin bill in Denver, then the Rockies collapsed like it was 1993 to blow a six-run lead in the last two innings of the nightcap. As a result, the Dodgers treaded water while the Giants paddled to within 1 1/2 games of the top heading into a four-game set at Chicago.

There was drama, of course there was drama. When Santiago Casilla and Mike Lamb collide in the ninth there’s bound to be plenty of that. But the win helped dull the pain of an 11-16 August.

By all rights the Giants should be buried. At 72-60 they’re well in the hunt despite playing .357 ball (15-27) since the break. A glorious stretch that saw San Francisco play 15 of 18 games at home provided no relief as they went 6-9 at home and 7-11 overall. And yet they’re still a player on September 1.

The effort of the pen notwithstanding, it proved to be the second win (and first at AT&T Park) for Moore, who gave up one run and five hits in his first game since losing his no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth at Dodger Stadium. Manager Bruce Bochy handled Moore with kid gloves, yanking him after 92 pitches six days after throwing 133 against the Dodgers.

Can someone shut the gate at third? (SF Gate Photo)

The Giants grabbed a first-inning lead by showcasing both the long and short hits. Joe Panik outran a dribbler up the first base line for an infield single before Buster Posey short-hopped the wall in left center for an RBI double. Hunter Pence added a two-out, two-strike cue shot into the right field pocket to provide a quick 2-0 edge.

It looked as though the Giants would tee off on Diamondbacks’ starter Shelby Miller. A disappointment after being acquired to be the Robin to Zack Greinke’s Batman (stuff it, Matt Harvey), Miller had toiled in AAA Reno since mid July but was brought up to face the Giants. He slogged through a 31-pitch first inning then found his groove, allowing no further damage through six frames.

Moore was solid, leaving in that same sixth inning. The bullpen shared culpability for the lone run he allowed when a sac fly plated AJ Pollack moments after to swiped third against a blissfully-unaware Hunter Strickland.

The G-Men stretched it out again, getting a run in the seventh on Conor Gillaspie’s pinch-hit triple and a double by Angel Pagan. Panik’s soft single put runners at the corners and Posey tacked on his second RBI with a sac fly.

Up 4-1, the mission was to hold on. That they did, but not without a few unplanned palpitations. Sergio Romo loaded the bases with two gone in the eighth (another steal of third included) and Bochy asked Casilla for a four-out save. With Lamb, nemesis to the Giants and Casilla, ensconced on the bench, Casilla got Yasmany Tomas swinging to end the threat.

There was still the ninth. Lamb did hit, and he hit well. His opposite-field solo blast was both predictable (he's 3 for 7 against Casilla and all three hits left the yard) and insufficient (we did say solo shot, right?). Arizona got the tying run to the plate because, well, Casilla. Still, the Giants survived.

As did the birds. You didn’t think we’d leave out the birds, did you? It started with one around inning number three, and he eventually brought friends. A trio of pigeons took ownership of the area in front of home plate and clung to it like rats on a cheeto for the remainder of the game despite the best efforts of players, umpires and the occasional ball in play to discourage them.

Forget the “rally gulls”, these birds came to play. They were persistent enough to warrant consideration for the 40-man roster.

The Giants start a 10-game road swing through Chicago, Colorado and Arizona before getting 14 of their final 20 at home. 

Jeff Samardzija (11-9, 4.00 EA) pitches the opener Thursday against his former team (okay, one of many former teams), while Mike Montgomery (1-1, 3.50 ERA) goes for the Cubs.

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