by Jessica Kwong

AP photo: Los Angeles Dodgers Yasiel Puig points heavenward after hitting a three run home run in the fist inning off the San Francisco Giants Matt Moore during a six run rally

LOS ANGELES As San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore put it Wednesday after the shortest outing of his career, “It was a bad day to have a bad day” at Dodger Stadium.

 Moore – pulled after allowing six runs on seven hits in one inning – and the Giants lost 9-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who clinched its fourth consecutive National League West title.

 Meanwhile, San Francisco lost the opportunity to take sole possession of first in the NL West Wild Card race and are tied at 80-72 with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, clubs that also lost on Wednesday.

 “Well, you have to savor being in this position. Too many times we haven’t been in this position,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re in it, we’re going to have to fight for the last 10 games.”

 San Francisco took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Angel Pagan singled on a line drive to right fielder Yasiel Puig allowing Denard Span to score.

 But in the bottom of the first, the Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez singled on a line drive to left fielder Pagan and Corey Seager scored to tie the game. Then Puig hit a home run on a fly ball to right center field and Justin Turner and Gonzalez both scored to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead.

 That wasn’t it.

 Kenta Maeda singled on a line drive to center fielder Span and Carlos Ruiz scored to boost the Dodgers to a 5-1 lead. Matt Cain relieved Moore.

 “This is as good as I’ve ever felt heading into a game, as far as my initiative, waking up this morning, how my body felt, who we were playing, the guys we’re trying to catch,” Moore said. “I picked a bad day to have a bad day.”

 In the second inning, Ehire Adrianza homered on a fly ball to right field to cut the Dodgers lead to 5-2. But when Turner got out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Span, Howie Kendrick scored to give Los Angeles a 6-2 lead.

 In the third inning, Kendrick doubled on a sharp line drive to right fielder Hunter Pence and Ruiz and Charlie Culberson scored, widening the Dodgers’ lead to 8-2.

 That wasn’t the end of Dodgers’ scoring.

 In the fifth inning, Andrew Toles doubled on a line drive to left fielder Jarrett Parker and Enrique Hernandez scored, lifting the Dodgers to 9-2.

 Brandon Belt doubled on a sharp line drive to Puig in the sixth inning and allowed Pence to score, but the Giants couldn’t overcome the six-run deficit.

Ty Blach, who took the mound in the sixth, pitched three perfect innings.

 “It felt good,” Blach said. “I was able to settle in the last couple of innings and execute some pitches.”

 Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda picked up his 16th win of the season allowing only two runs, one earned, on three hits in five innings and struck out six.

 The Giants continue their fight for a Wild Card spot on Thursday against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.

 Bochy said the Cardinals and Mets on Wednesday “could have gained too, I guess.”

 “It works both ways,” the manager said.