SAN FRANCISCO — In the midst of their third consecutive losing season, the Giants have sometimes found ways to sprinkle little morsels of hope for fans in search of good news.
There are nights when a strong bullpen hands the ball to the one of the sport’s best closers, Will Smith. There are games when rookie Shaun Anderson looks like a future rotation anchor. There are days when Alex Dickerson, the powerful newcomer to the outfield, makes hitting look enjoyable.
Far too often, there are games like the one the Giants lost on Thursday. San Francisco suffered through another ho-hum 5-1 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks as a moribund offense was shut down in another uninspiring showing.