ST. LOUIS -- The San Francisco Giants are trying to make things a little easier, and it is as if the Los Angeles Dodgers are afraid of taking the bait.
An interesting dynamic is starting to play out in the National League West. The Giants have lost six consecutive games, all since the All-Star break, the latest a defeat in New York to the Yankees.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are plodding along in the second half, losing a series at Arizona they probably should have won, and winning a series at Washington they probably should have lost.