Another landslide loss for Giants in Washington

BOX SCORE
WASHINGTONIf only the Giants could put on their floweredshirts and sunglasses and scatter across the country now.

If only they could exhale deeply, take stock of a fairlysuccessful first half and enjoy the All-Star break. If only they could resttheir weary minds and heavier legs.

They cannot relax yet. A three-game series against thefirst-place Pittsburgh Pirates awaits them, and given the way these threebrow-glistening days went in Washington, the Giants can only hope to burnenough vapor to be competitive.

They simply didnt have enough to make it to the end againstthe Nationals. Nothing symbolized that better than shortstop Brandon Crawfordsthrow on the final play of the Giants 6-5 loss, which completed a three-gamebrooming at Nationals Park on Thursday.
RECAP: Nationals 6, Giants 5

The Giants needed to turn a double play with the basesloaded to force extra innings. Second baseman Ryan Theriot completed thecatch-and-release portion. But Crawford, who entered as a defensivereplacement, bounced the throw to first base. Brandon Belt watched the shorthop spring off his glove like it was rubberized.

Just wasnt a good throw, Crawford said. It wasnt like Islipped or the runner was there. It just didnt make it 90 feet.

The Giants just couldnt make the full measure. A day afterblowing an early 3-0 lead, they let a 5-1 advantage slip away.

Entering this series, the Giants were 74-1 whenever theytook a lead of three runs or more. Against the Nationals, they collapsed twicein two days.

I dont know whats going on right now, said closerSantiago Casilla, who blew his third save opportunity in his last four tries.I know its going to be OK. Weve got a very good team.

Casilla iced his shoulder and elbow after the game. Hes onpace to make more than 70 appearances. Until the last week or so, he had thenumbers to make the NL All-Star team. Yet he insisted he wasnt tired orinjured.

I feel great, he said. Its a crazy game sometimes.

It wasnt Casillas inability to protect a one-run lead inthe ninth that drove Giants manager Bruce Bochy crazy. It wasnt Casillas poorand errant decision to field a bunt that Joaquin Arias could have handled with ease, either.

It was all the minimized opportunities.

Bochys right-handed lineup produced 11 hits in five inningsagainst lefty Ross Detwiler, yet they left the bases loaded twice. When AngelPagan hit an RBI triple with no outs in the seventh, the Giants couldnt add onthe extra run.

We probably shouldve had 10 runs today, Bochy said. Youplay a good team and dont put them away, keep it close, things like this canhappen.

Knockout punches can be two-run singles. More often, theyrehome runs. The Giants were outhomered in the series 7-1. The Nats used thelongball to begin their rally against Matt Cain in the seventh inning, when IanDesmond and Danny Espinosa hit back-to-back shots.

I could have done a better job of keeping the game at leastat 5-1, and keep the momentum on our side, said Cain, who was in line for his10th victory when he departed in the seventh.

These guys are hot right now. Theyre all swinging the batwell and finding ways to win together. Theyre going to be tough for these guysin the East, having to play this team.

Theriot said the Nationals are every bit as good as the Rangers and Angels, who most players agreed are the two best clubs the Giants have faced this season.

"Seems every reliever we faced had a one-ERA," Theriot said.

Even Mark DeRosa contributed to the Giants collapse. Hescored a run in the seventh after hitting a pinch double off Jeremy Affeldt. Itwas reminiscent of last year, when Edgar Renteria beat the Giants with awalk-off hit at Cincinnati.

The Giants never recovered last July when they were swept inthree games by the Reds. Theyve got to pick themselves up now.

For three games, at least. Then they can rest.