SAN DIEGO -- Right around the time rookie catcher Trevor Brown took a pitch to the throat in the third inning Sunday night, you might have posed this question: can the season safely end soon enough for these injury-ravaged Giants?
Maybe not.Brown stayed in the game, broke a scoreless tie by making his first major league hit an RBI double, and the Giants' lifeline in the N.L. West became a bit stronger after a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.Combined with the Dodgers' loss to Arizona, the Giants are within six games with 12 to play — including four against the N.