SAN DIEGO _ You could say the San Francisco Giants had modest goals Tuesday night.
They entered their game against the San Diego Padres with a 13-13 record in August, and three more to play before September. A winning month means more when you haven't had one since June of last season.
They also entered the game trailing the Padres by four games for fourth place in the NL West. Escaping the cellar means more when you had every intention to contend and instead find yourself trailing a team that was designed to tank.
A Giants offense without Buster Posey and Brandon Belt was too modest to accommodate those goals. They set up two potentially huge innings yet squeezed just two runs out of them, Matt Moore served up a three-run home run to Manuel Margot and the Giants lost 6-3 at Petco Park.
Margot's tiebreaking home run in the fourth inning was the 19th surrendered by Giants pitchers this season. It came with a two-strike count. It only seems like the other 18 did, too.
The Giants have been out-three-run-homered 19-5 this season.
It appeared the Giants would break the game open against Luis Perdomo in the first two innings. Denard Span and Hunter Pence started the game with singles, but Jarrett Parker grounded into a double play.
They had the pot bubbling in the second inning when Joe Panik hit a leadoff single and Nick Hundley's chopper handcuffed third baseman Cory Spangenberg for an error. Ryder Joes flied out but Moore's sacrifice bunt was perfectly placed for a single, and Panik scored as Spangenberg's throw sailed down the right field line.
Span followed with an RBI double to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, and Pence drew a walk to load the bases.
But Parker had another unproductive at-bat. He struck out looking, and Margot was able to run down Sandoval's well struck drive to center to end the inning.
The Padres had their own issues taking advantage of opportunities. They tallied six hits against Moore in the second and third innings yet netted just one run, and needed a mental mistake by a rookie to even manage that much.
Jones came up as a third baseman but has worked hard to get comfortable at first base. On some plays, though, there is no substitute for experience. He charged Spangenberg's nubber with two outs in the second inning when the only possible play was for Moore to handle it and shovel to first base. Wil Myers scored on the infield single.
The Padres tied it in the fourth when Jabari Blash hit a deep home run, and then Moore's inefficiency _ a hit batter and a walk _ set up Margot's three-run shot.
Spangenberg doubled and scored off Albert Suarez in the sixth; Panik homered for the second consecutive night to account for the Giants' third run.
