By Morris Phillips

The Dodgers got a deal done, and Cole Hamels is off the market.  So what did the Giants do?

They just kept on winning with the guys they got.

Fans inside sold-out AT&T Park had to sit patiently for more than two hours after first pitch, but then right on cue, the Giants responded with a five-run explosion for all the measurable offense in their 5-0 win over the Brewers.  Winners of 13 of 15, the Giants have caught the Dodgers in the NL West with 61 games remaining to play.

So is it deal or no deal for the defending World champs?

“We have a team that we’re proud of,” Giants GM Bobby Evans said when asked if the team would deal before the game.  “I think not making a deal is an option.  But if you can make a deal that make sense, you’ll do it.”

If they do deal, the Giants will likely splurge on a starting pitcher that would put them more in line with the Nationals and Dodgers in terms of rotation quality.  If so, they would appear to be down to Jeff Samardzija and David Price on the high end, San Diego’s James Shields and other lesser names could be possibilities as well.

Andrew Susac and highly-regarded, first round pick Tyler Beede could be among those players that would move to complete such a deal and therein lies the rub.  All of sudden the Giants are seeing big benefits from keeping their prospects like Matt Duffy, Chris Heston and Joe Panik were before they literally overnight became indispensable for the Giants at big-league level.

If standing pat feels like the smarter play, then Jake Peavy sure did look good on Wednesday.  The 34-year old veteran frustrated the Brewers for six inning in his best outing of the season.  Peavy’s only had seven starts but this was the best of the bunch with four hits and no walks allowed.  In the sixth, and facing Ryan Braun for the third time, Peavy had enough in the tank to strike out the slugger.

“He had really good stuff, he really kept it down.  He’s been throwing the ball really well since he came back,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Peavy.

Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers wasn’t bad either, thus the long wait for any offense on Wednesday.  Fiers allowed just two hits in the first six innings before running into trouble in the seventh.

Matt Duffy opened the seventh with a single, and the next batter, Hunter Pence doubled home Duffy and the Giants had a lead.  Brewers’ manager Craig Counsel then lifted Fiers, but reliever Will Smith let three of the four batters he faced reach, and the Giants extended the lead to 4-0.

Jonathon Broxton was the third Milwaukee pitcher of the inning, and he allowed a sacrifice fly to Gregor Blanco that chased home Ehire Adrianza to cap the scoring.

Hunter Strickland needed 11 pitches to record an out, and 20 to get the Giants out of the seventh, but he succeeded, which gave him the win, not Peavy.  Strickland hadn’t won a major league game since September 2014.

Sergio Romo pitched the eighth and Javier Lopez had a hitless ninth to close it out.  Pence was the only Giant to rack up a pair of hits, and Adrianza’s two-run single put the Giants up 4-0.

The Dodgers acquired Mat Latos and Michael Morse from the Marlins in exchange for a trio of minor leaguers, none of which are considered to be highly regarded.  Morse helped the Giants win the title last season only to sign with Miami in the winter.  The Dodger also picked up Jim Johnson, Alex Wood and Luis Avilan in exchange for Dodgers’ prospect Hector Olivera and two other minor leaguers.

The Rangers ponied up the preferred package for Hamels on Wednesday, sending six prospects to the Philadelphia in exchange for the 31-year former All-Star.  Hamels pitched a no-hitter over the weekend no doubt enhancing his trade value.  Were the Giants as willing as Texas was to add Hamels?

Probably not, but stay tuned until Friday afternoon.  This situation remain fluid.

The Dodgers rallied Wednesday night from a 6-3 deficit in the seventh to beat the A’s 10-7 at Dodgers Stadium.  The win allowed Los Angeles to regain their half-game lead over the Giants in NL West.

On Friday night, Madison Bumgarner gets the nod in the heat of Rangers Park in Arlington.  Bumgarner will opposed by Texas’ Nick Martinez.