By Morris Phillips

AP photo: San Diego Padres Wil Myers puts the tag on the San Francisco Giants Denard Span in a run down between first and second

SAN FRANCISCO–The current moods of torture blew through AT&T Park on Wednesday, as the Giants once again played as if they’re barely alive, when in fact, they are alive, just barely.

Losers 3-1 with Madison Bumgarner keeping it close once again to no avail, swept by the Padres, means Giants’ fans have been watching the worst show in baseball since mid-summer, but watch you must, because their next game is just as important as the last, just as telling.

Claiming baseball’s best record at the All-Star break (57-33) for only the second time in their San Francisco history, they’re 20-35 since, and it doesn’t appear to be getting any better soon.

The Giants lost.  The Cardinals lost.  The Mets lost.  The Dodgers welcomed back Clayton Kershaw and won in New York.  They’re the presumptive NL West champs for a record fourth straight season, and the Giants hope they can qualify for a one-game playoff.

“So far the second half has been something like I’ve never seen before, and a lot of guys who have been around are saying the same thing,” Bumgarner said.

That the Giants have to beat out one of two teams capable of pitching and hitting (something the Giants can seem to do lately) makes it intriguing.  In fact, the anxiousness Giants’ fans feel, Mets and Cardinals fans are feeling too.  Both their teams made the playoffs last year and would kick themselves if they lost out to a team as vulnerable as the Giants.

So what’s left? Seventeen games with the last six at AT&T Park dangling as a carrot for the Giants.  Thirteen of those 17 are against the Dodgers, Cardinals and the dangerous Rockies, dangerous because they can hit.  The other four games are at Petco Park, where the Giants were swept in July.

If the Giants go 10-7, it might be enough.  It won’t be enough to change any other team in the playoffs’ opinion of the Giants, but they’ll be instantly wary if the Giants follow that with a wild-card win.

NOTES: Derek Law, the emerging reliever felled by an elbow issue, was activated from the disabled list before the game, and given the fragile state of the Giants’ pen, this is no insignificant move.  Law was becoming an outstanding setup guy before his injury, posting a 0.41 ERA in his previous 24 appearances.

Not surprisingly, the Giants’ numbers with runners in scoring position lately have been downright depressing.  In the six consecutive losses to the Padres, the team has six hits in 45 at-bats with RISP, In their last four games overall, they’re 5 of 27.

AT&T Park did a lively moment in the fourth inning, when third baseman Conor Gillaspie made a diving stab, and threw out Derek Norris with a runner aboard.  Gillaspie started in Eduardo Nunez’ spot, who missed his second straight game with back tightness.  Of course, Nunez had an eight-game hitting streak before his back flared up.