By Morris Phillips

As confounding as the Giants’ nine-game losing streak at home, its conclusion was just as hard to explain as well.

Why? Because after a truly lackluster stretch, the Giants immediately went back to playing credible baseball and looking like a playoff contender in a 6-2 win over the Mariners on Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Park.

Not every title contender can afford to take what amounts to a week-long vacation, but the Giants have without relinquishing their position atop a competitive NL West.  While the Giants were winning, the Dodgers were dropping a tough one at Texas, leaving the rivals three games apart with another big series against each other coming up this weekend at Dodgers Stadium.

In gaining the mini-split with the Mariners, the Giants got clutch hitting to back a strong start from Tim Lincecum, who in turn was supported by a quartet of relievers who finished it without allowing a hit.

The Giants went the first four games of their home stand without establishing a lead at any point.  On Tuesday, Matt Duffy provided the early lead with a rare, two-run homer.  Lincecum and the bullpen protected 2-1 and 3-2 leads until Duffy and Casey McGehee provided a cushion a three-run eighth inning.

“When you go through a rut like this you need good pitching, a timely hit, and it happened today,” manager Bruce Bochy said.  “We played well.”

“We got to play better at home,” Duffy said.  “We had a little meeting today, just pick up the intensity.  And I think that really helped snap us out of what little funk we had going.  These fans are too good, they’re too loyal for us to play like we had been at home.”

Whether the meeting actually had anything to do with the Giants’ resurgence is up to debate.  But unquestionably, the potential is there for a team that’s been all over the map in the first 2 ½ months of the season.  Besides the two losing streaks, the Giants had the best record in baseball for a stretch of 35 days.  Duffy and Joe Panik are emerging, offensive contributors, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt are building their best offensive seasons thus far in their career, and the pitching has the same potential it had last season when it carried the team to a world title.

Now if they just solve that little conundrum of consistency, and playing at home, things could take off.

Lincecum pitched into the sixth inning without his new, best stuff allowing four walks, five hits including a home run allowed to shortstop Brad Miller.  While the Freak hasn’t been anything near what he was at his zenith, he’s won seven games, and justified all the trust the club handed him when he signed a new deal before last season.

Duffy ended up with three hits, and evened his competition with Panik with six homers on the season.  Dubbed the tortoise vs. tortoise home run race, it should maintain some intrigue for the two, young infielders throughout the summer.

“I said, your move, Joe,” Duffy recalled telling Panik after he connected in the second inning.

On Wednesday, the Mariners and Giants continue their interleague series in much warmer Seattle.  The matchup is compelling with King Felix Hernandez looking for his 10^th win and Madison Bumgarner motoring along as well in search of his eighth win in a ballgame that starts at 7:05pm.