Giants well-versed in September stakes

Ehire Adrianza fields a grounder, then throws for the force at second for the final out of the 9th to give Santiago Casilla his 29th saveCHICAGO -- September is when the Giants define themselves.

San Francisco tends to hone its knack for winning World Series in even-numbered years during the calendar's ninth month. It's when a decent ballclub becomes a formidable one and competent performers scrape the ceiling of greatness.

The Giants enter September with a seemingly pedestrian 72-60 mark. They trailed the first-place Dodgers by 1 1/2 games in the National League West. However, the Giants owned similar or identical records at the same juncture in each of their championship campaigns: They…