SAN FRANCISCO -- As a young Giants fan, Brandon Crawford's favorite player was shortstop Royce Clayton. When Crawford finally got the chance to ask his idol for advice, Clayton repeated the words that Robby Thompson spoke to him as a big league rookie:
"Never forget that your core responsibility is to solidify this infield."In his fifth full season, Crawford is doing much more than that. He did his best to prop up the entirety of an embattled team in the Giants' 13-11 loss to the A's on Tuesday night, hitting a two-run double that provided one lead and then giving the Giants another with a bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning.