Let’s start with two facts:
- The San Francisco Giants season is not over, or even close to it. They’re just a half game outside of the second Wild Card spot, with seven games to play. All seven of those games are at Oracle Park, where they’ve been very good this year.
- This was a game they really, really, really didn’t want to lose.
The Giants don’t want to dig a hole. They don’t want to drop out of the postseason standings, with a four-game gauntlet against one of baseball’s best teams awaiting them as they cross the season’s finish line.