SAN DIEGO – The Giants scaled to the best record in baseball largely because of their top three starting pitchers. They were 40-15 in games started by Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija.
Then they opened out of the break at Petco Park. And for the first time, the fearsome front end of their rotation toppled over.
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Cueto, still sapped by a respiratory ailment, was not sharp in a 5-3 loss and the San Diego Padres ran through the thick part of the Giants rotation while completing a three-game sweep.
It was the first series the Giants (57-36) dropped to an NL West opponent since late April.