PHOENIX _ Jarrett Parker provided nearly all of the Giants' offense in a 2-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Parker hit a long home run. He legged out a triple. His total of seven total bases was one short of matching the most by a Giants player this season.
You might remember who set that mark: Madison Bumgarner, in this same ballpark, when he became the first major league pitcher in history to hit two home runs on Opening Day. Several players have matched Bumgarner's eight total bases in five months since then. None have bested it.
Then and now, the result was not ideal for the Giants. This time two home runs ascribed to Bumgarner were surrendered, as A.J. Pollock went deep in the first inning and J.D. Martinez found the seats in the fourth.
That was enough for the Diamondbacks to shade the Giants by a run for the second consecutive night while strengthening their position atop the NL wild-card standings and setting themselves up for a chance at a three-game sweep.
Bumgarner (3-6) was making his ninth start since returning from his dirt bike accident and separated shoulder, and he continued to show his sturdiness. He threw 105 pitches, held the Diamondbacks to four hits, struck out seven and the only walk he issued was intentional.
Bumgarner also showed some menace at the plate when he hit a long foul fly off Taijuan Walker in his second at-bat. But he ended up stranding two when he struck out in the fifth inning.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy put his faith in Bumgarner again in the seventh, after Pablo Sandoval drew a one-out walk and Joe Panik greeted left-hander Andrew Chafin with a single. Bochy sent up Nick Hundley to pinch hit for No.8 batter Ryder Jones, and after a pop-up, Bumgarner hit for himself.
Chafin did not throw him anything over the plate. Bumgarner took two mighty rips through sinkers away, and Chafin followed with another that appeared off the edge but was good enough for umpire Jerry Meals. Bumgarner shrugged his shoulders in protest and stood in the box for a moment or two of calm conversation with the umpire.
David Hernandez, whom the Giants released from a minor league contract at the end of spring training, fired a scoreless eighth inning and Fernando Rodney recorded another one-run save in the ninth.
Although you can't put everything on the Giants front office this season, their decision to break with Neil Ramirez over Hernandez turned out to be the wrong decision. Hernandez had a fine season with the Angels (2.23 ERA in 38 games) before the Diamondbacks reacquired him for the pennant stretch.
