LOS ANGELES -- The Giants came to the park Wednesday with the knowledge that the Cardinals had been blown out. As they got underway with the Dodgers, they learned that the Mets had lost a heartbreaker to the Braves.
With a chance to have a huge day in the Wild Card race, the Giants went out and ... got crushed.
A 9-3 loss to the Dodgers kept three teams tied atop the Wild Card standings. This was certainly a missed opportunity.
"Well, yeah ..." manager Bruce Bochy said. "They could have gained too, I guess. It works both ways."
So there was that, and on this night there was not much more. Matt Moore, who nearly no-hit the Dodgers here last month, lasted just three outs. He was charged with six runs, half coming on a Yasiel Puig homer.
Moore said that pitch was poorly executed, a fastball that ran back over the heart of the plate. The rest of the inning was death by a thousand cuts.
San Francisco Giants
"Aside from the pitch to Puig, I didn't feel like there were a lot of hard-hit balls," Moore said.
[INSTANT REPLAY: Moore rocked, Giants leave LA six back]
The Dodgers put them in the right spots, handing Moore a brutal line on a day when he felt as good as he ever has. Moore said he woke up feeling great physically and he was in a good mood after Tuesday night's win. It all went south on him.
"It was a bad day to have a bad day," he said.
The outing put the game out of reach early. At that point, the only drama was related to Sunday's game in San Diego. The Giants have not officially ruled Johnny Cueto (groin strain) out but he is considered a long shot.
All three pitchers thought to be competing for the spot start took the mound Wednesday. Matt Cain gave up two runs in two innings. Jake Peavy gave up one in one inning. Rookie Ty Blach pitched three perfect frames. In six September innings, Blach - a call-up - has allowed just one hit and recorded 18 outs on 66 pitches. He certainly is the most intriguing of the bunch right now.
There is a fourth option, too. Because Moore only threw 45 pitches, he could possibly come back on three days rest.
"Everyone is a consideration at this point," was all Bochy would offer.
Technically, the NL West is still a consideration, too. But after fighting it for so long, some Giants admitted Wednesday that the race is all but over. Any combination of five Giants losses or Dodgers wins will clinch a fourth straight division title in Los Angeles. The Giants once led this division by eight games.
"It's disappointing, there's no doubt it's disappointing," Peavy said. "We set our sights on winning the division. We still aren't giving up hope, although we understand the mathematics behind it.
"That being said, we're not dwelling on that. We've still got to find our way in."
