SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Forty-three games remain on the Giants' schedule. Seven will be against the Padres, four in San Diego, Sept. 9-12, and three in San Francisco to end the regular season.
If the Giants hope to win the National League West - and they believe they can - they must solve the Rubik's Cube that San Diego presents them.
The Padres are 9-2 in the season series after Sunday's 8-2 thrashing that decided a three-game series that San Francisco desperately wanted to win. Tim Lincecum (six runs, five earned) did not survive the fourth inning and lost his third consecutive start. He has allowed 14 earned runs in 14 innings since beating the Dodgers on July 30.
Though the Giants won their homestand four games to three, the ending made that victory Pyrrhic. The Padres responded to one of the Giants' best wins of the year with an even better one. They kicked sand in the Giants' faces on their way out of town, burying Lincecum and winning in a rout.
Moreover, the Padres left no doubt they have more than enough offense to win the National League West by scoring eight runs while their best hitter, Adrian Gonzalez, struck out four times.
They left town looking like a playoff team.
Now, according to one player who has been around the block, the Giants need to forget the Padres even exist.
"We've got seven games left with them? We don't care about those seven games now," said reliever Guillermo Mota, who surrendered the final two runs Sunday. "What we care about is winning series. They've been playing good. We do, too. But it's not between us and San Diego. It's us and the whole league right now. We've got to go to Philly and take care of business."
Mota had one final word on the Padres, though.
"Every team has a down time," he said. "Every team has its lumps. They haven't had their lumps. You don't think they're going to be playing like that all year, do you? If they do, congratulations."
The Giants have to wear this defeat until they open a six-game trip to Philadelphia and St. Louis on Tuesday night. If they insist upon viewing the glass as half full, they remain well within striking distance of first place despite being owned by San Diego.
The wild card is there for the taking, too, which makes the coming week so crucial. The Phillies and Cardinals could be two of their primary competitors.
On Sunday, the Giants did little to electrify a sellout crowd of 42,834.
Buster Posey, elevated to second in the lineup with Jose Guillen batting fifth, hit a two-run homer, his ninth of the season and second at home, accounting for both Giants runs.
Posey had three of the Giants' four hits against Wade LeBlanc and two relievers. Manager Bruce Bochy had said he planned to give Posey a long-awaited rest Tuesday night, giving him 72 hours off. After the loss, Bochy said, "I have a right to change my mind."
Guillen made his first start with the Giants, and even his first hit turned sour. With San Diego leading 6-2, he opened the fourth with a blast into deep right-center and was thrown out easily trying for a triple. Guillen acknowledged that making the first out at third base, especially when your team is behind, should "never, never, never" happen.
"I think the day off comes at a good time," Bochy said, the wear evident on his face. "This team is grinding hard. It's been a tough schedule."
It only gets tougher, chief.
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