'Is it safe?' Giants go marathon man in Arizona

Madison Bumgarner went to the mound Friday in Phoenix looking for his 100th career victory. He's still looking.   

Bumgarner exited after six innings with a 5-4 lead built on fortuitous timing only to see George Kontos, Denard Span, Santiago Casilla and a way-too-loyal Bruce Bochy cough up not one but two leads as the Giants struggled to gut-wrenching 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks in 12 innings.

Wait, did we just gloss over that? Yes, the Giants won. We'll wait while you seek medical attention.

Los Angeles fell 4-1 in Miami in Clayton Kershaw's return so the Giants' deficit in the NL West was trimmed to four games. The Giants also maintained their narrow advantage over New York and St. Louis in the wildcard chase. The Mets and Cards sit half a game back.

With Arizona starter Rubby De La Rosa facing a pitch count in his return from injury, it seemed prudent to work the count. San Francisco failed miserably in an 11-pitch first but made thim labor in the second. Hunter Pence's one-out infield single was followed by walks to Brandon Belt and Joe Panik before Eduardo Nunez chased Pence home with a sac fly. A strikeout of Bumgarner ended the frame but the Giants had coaxed a 32-toss inning out of De La Rosa while building a 1-0 lead.

As has been the case for two-plus months, a lead was short lived. Brandon Drury's two-out, two-run shot (Paul Goldschmidt led off with a walk) put the Giants right back in a hole. It was the 22nd long ball allowed by Bumgarner on the year, tied with Jeff Samardzija for the team high, and the 142nd allowed by the staff overall. If you're looking for a reason the Giants are in their current state, there ya go.

Bungarner took over the dubious statistical lead an inning later. Kyle Jensen's first Major League hit was another two-out, two-run blast. The 3-1 fastball was a serious threat to diners in the TGI Friday's atop left field and gave Arizona a 4-1 lead. The Giants were hurting and we were asking two pertinent questions: (1) what's wrong with these guys, and (2) is TGI Friday's really dining?

Buster retires Chris Owings. We needed a highlight. (AP Photo)

The Giants edged closer in the fourth against Braden Shipley. Pence walked, Belt singled and Panik delivered Pence with another base hit. When Nunez doubled inside third, Belt came across to pull the Giants within a run.

A break got Pence to second base leading off the sixth;nabs Snakes shortstop Chris Owings made a great running stab of a grounder up the middle but his throw found the seats instead of first base. Belt got him home, fighting off a curve to fist a single into left for the equalizer. A double play cleared the bases before Nunez singled and Bumgarner walked, forcing Shipley from the game in favor of former Giants farmhand Edwin Escobar.

That big two-out hit? It didn't come here either. Span made his fourth out in six innings, flying out to short left to end the rally. Yep, one run is a rally these days. A crooked number? That's nirvana (the feeling, not the ... never mind).

Bumgarner (six hits with a walk and nine strikeouts)! got through six but had thrown 110 pitches. The bullpen would take over. Those duck-and-cover drills from kindergarten might finally prove useful. Bumgarner would, however, have a shot at a win. Angel Pagan broke a 1-for-24 skid with a lead-off blast to left and San Francisco had a 5-4 lead.

And you new it wouldn't last even an inning because, well, just because. George Kontos gave up one-out walk and Span did a 360 spin while dropping Owings' two-out deep drive. The tying run scored and Owings was gunned down trying to make the full circuit; the game was tied 5-5 at the end of seven.

We rolled on to extras when Zack Godley started the 10th by walking Brandon Crawford. Pence riffled his fourth hit of the night into the right field corner to put runners at second a third. Belt got the free pass and Patrick Corbin inherited the bases-loaded, no-out mess. Corbin fell behind Panik 2-0 but induced a roller to second that produced a force at home against the drawn-in infield. That was it for Corbin, and Enrique Burgos became the 10th Arizona pitcher of the night. Yep, it's September. It was also one hurler too many for Arizona as Burgos held onto his 2-1 pitch to Nunez a bit too long and hopped it to the backstop, allowing Pence to roar home and break the tie.

Casilla blew it. Jake Lamb owns Casilla. He's five for nine in his career against Casilla with five home runs. This was number five, a towering drive one over the center field wall just because you knew he would. Casilla then drilled Goldschmidt for good measure, slept as he stole second.  A ground ball got the runner as far as third  before Tomas grounded out.

We don't know either. Giants beat writer Andrew Baggarly tweeted with Lamb on deck that he could see no earthly reason Casilla would face his nemesis. Apparently the only one on the planet who still thinks Casilla is good is Bochy. He's wrong. Casilla needs to be released immediately just so Bochy isn't tempted to continue playing with his favorite pet. You know, the one that keeps biting him.

This is emblematic of something Casilla-related, we're sure.

Matt Koch, making his Major League debut, walked Span and Pagan to open the 11th, so  of course the Giants wasted the chance. A Buster Posey fly to deep right advanced Span to third, and we started rooting for another wild pitch that never game. Instead Crawford bounced to first and Goldschmidt fired home to cut down Span and Pence grounded out. The patient had no pulse. If you hadn't already suspected, you knew then it was over.

Joe Nathn, 41-year-old Joe Nathan, I was pitching in Double A Joe Nathan, wearing Barry Zito's number Joe Nathan, gave up a single to Drury to open the Diamondbacks half of the 11th. A wild pitch put Drury at second and Haniger's fly ball got him to third with one out. Phil Gosselin, hitting for Koch, struck out on a high 3-2 slider and Jean Segura lined a screamer Pence ran down in the gap to send it to the 12th. Maybe Arizona didn't want this game either.

Belt's third base on balls and a Panik single opened the 12th against Dominic Leone. Nunez was called upon to sacrifice and looked miserable doing it, fouling off two offerings before popping up. Batting ffor Nahan, Kelby Tomlinson finally gave the Giants a boost with a single up the middle. Belt scored, but no good dead goes unpunished. Panik was caught headed for third and the Giants lost a chance to add on, but at least the 7-6 lead wouldn't be entrusted to Casilla.

It would be the committee, and it was ugly. Corey Gearrin fanned Owings but left for Javy Lopez, who walked Lamb while Gearrin hid in left field. He'd return to face Goldschmidt with Gorkys Hernandez taking over in left. Lamb stole second, which mattered little when Gearrin walked Goldschmidt. A generous call wrung up Castillo after Gearrin fell behind 3-0, and Gearrin went full on Tomas before he grounded out to mercifully end it after 5 1/2 hours.

Nine Giants pitchers combined to give up as many hits, three of which left the yard, while walking five. Nathan vultured the win, while Gearrin got the very shaky save.

San Francisco's 12-hit 'attack' was led by Pence's four hits while Belt, Panik and Nunez had two each. The top of the order was the real issue with Span, Pagan and Posey getting 18 at-bats with a homer and walk, both by Pagan, the only hint of protest. 

San Francisco hopes for consecutive road wins for the first time since June 1 on Saturday with Johnny Cueto (14-5, 2.92 ERA) getting the call against Arizona's Archie Bradley (6-8, 4.85 ERA). We won't be watching due to the trazadone coma made necessary by this one. Enjoy.

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