SAN FRANCISCO _ For a San Francisco Giants team that's looked ill at the plate and at times lethargic in the outfield, a dose of Steven Duggar was the medicine that injected the club with much-needed life.
The rookie's intensity and energy are infectious qualities, but without the center fielder in the lineup Wednesday, the Giants played as if they could use another shot of what Duggar has to offer.
After suffering a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they could be waiting for awhile.
Manager Bruce Bochy announced before the game that Duggar was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised left shoulder. It's possible the center fielder's season is over and that he may need surgery, and if so, the Giants will be robbed of their most exciting talent.
The void Duggar left was quite obvious against Arizona, as San Francisco scored one run in another frustrating night at the plate. After rattling off a four-game win streak, the Giants fell seven games behind the first-place D'backs with 27 games left to play.
The Giants recorded just one hit in their first seven innings against D'backs right-hander Zack Godley, who entered the game having allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts.
A leadoff double by second baseman Joe Panik in the fourth was the best the Giants could do against Arizona's starter, as a considerable chunk of their offense came from three hit batsmen until Andrew McCutchen put the Giants on the board with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
By the time Panik reached base, the Giants were already down 3-0 as rookie Dereck Rodriguez allowed three earned runs for the first time since June 19 when he faced the Marlins.
Rodriguez suffered his first loss since June 9, when he made his second career start against the Washington Nationals. Since that outing, Rodriguez has been the most effective rookie starter in baseball, posting a 5-0 record and a 1.82 ERA in the 12 appearances he made prior to Wednesday.
D'backs right fielder Steven Souza Jr. opened the scoring with a solo home run to left field. It was the first home run Rodriguez has allowed since July 26 and it marked the first run of the series for the D'backs, as Giants pitchers had built up a 26-inning scoreless streak dating back to Sunday's win over the Texas Rangers.
Souza also made his presence felt in the field, as he supported Godley with a pair of diving plays to take away base hits. In the bottom of the sixth, Souza welcomed Gregor Blanco back to the Giants' roster by making a nearly identical diving catch to the one Blanco made that salvaged Matt Cain's perfect game in 2012.
