LOS ANGELES — When the Giants finally lost the lead in the NL West earlier this month, players clung to a positive: They had nine games left against the Dodgers.
Maybe that wasn’t a good thing.
On the first night of the biggest series of the year, the Giants looked overmatched at times. The middle of the Dodgers’ order got to Madison Bumgarner early and often, knocking him out after five innings. The Giants lost 9-5, falling two games back in the NL West for the first time since April 25. They have dropped three straight and eight of 11 since returning to the West Coast.