What we learned as struggling Giants drop fifth straight

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PHOENIX -- With one out in the bottom of the sixth and a speedy runner on second at Chase Field on Monday, Geraldo Perdomo put down a sacrifice bunt. It was an odd decision, even for a No. 9 hitter, but you can't blame Perdomo for thinking the Giants defense might have helped him out. 

A matchup between Madison Bumgarner and Carlos Rodón, past and current Giants aces, was overshadowed in a lot of ways by another demoralizing defensive effort from the Giants. They lost 8-3 in their first game this season against the Arizona Diamondbacks, falling to 3-11 over their last 14 games. The loss was their fifth straight. 

Four innings before his second bunt, Perdomo put one down that scored a runner all the way from first. There was the usual assortment of bad throws, shaky outfield routes and poor decisions, too. On top of all that, Curt Casali appeared to injure his oblique, and an IL stint seems likely after Joey Bart was scratched from Triple-A Sacramento's lineup. 

With the exception of David Villar's solid MLB debut, this was about the worst possible way to start a seven-game road trip that the Giants (40-38) hoped would get them back on track. 

You Can Stay

Villar has been red-hot all season long but had to watch others get a shot in San Francisco before he was finally added. Understandably, he didn't waste any time when he finally dug into the batter's box. 

The first pitch Villar saw in the big leagues was a 91 mph fastball from Bumgarner and he lined it 377 feet the other way off the right field wall, missing a homer by just a few feet. Villar had to settle for a double, and the next time up he dropped a single into right to drive in a run.

The rest of the day wasn't as positive. Villar bounced out in his third at-bat and then struck out with a runner on in the eighth. With two runners on in the bottom of the eighth, he couldn't handle a grounder to second, allowing both runners to score. 

Holiday MadBum

Bumgarner walked out to the bullpen with an American flag draped over his shoulders, but the good vibes didn't last long. The Giants loaded the bases in the first and scored a pair on LaMonte Wade Jr.'s single. 

They put two more runners on in the second and had three hits in the third, but Bumgarner never broke. On a day when he didn't have his usual command, he made it through five innings and left with the lead. Bumgarner was charged with three earned runs on five hits, three walks and two hit batters. He struck out four. 

Can't Keep It Going

Rodón allowed just five earned runs in six starts last month, posting a 1.25 ERA that was the fifth-lowest in franchise history in the month of June. The first start of July wasn't up to that lofty standard.

Rodón was charged with four earned runs, although one of them was a hard one to swallow. After the Diamondbacks tied it in the bottom of the first, Daulton Varsho led off the bottom of the second by beating Rodón to the bag for an infield single. The next play was one of the worst of the season, even by recent Giants standards. 

Perdomo put down a sac bunt and Varsho never broke stride as he rounded second and went for third. Casali got over to the bag in time but Wilmer Flores' throw sailed over his head and Varsho raced home.

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