Believe It: Giants Are in Second Place

The San Francisco Giants could hardly believe it. They were a second-place team, for a while at least.

The Giants fell out of first in the NL West for the first time since May 11, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1, Saturday at San Francisco.

The loss dropped the Giants one game behind Atlanta, which trailed San Francisco by 10 games on July 22. The Braves beat the Padres at San Diego Saturday night.

“These are the tough times you’ve got to fight through,” Giant Manager Dusty Baker said. “There’s no lack of confidence or effort. . . . It makes you sick to your stomach, but you have to battle through it.”

San Francisco has lost four consecutive games, and 11 of its last 17. The Giants outhit the Cardinals, 12-6, but lost to St. Louis for the third consecutive day.

“It seems like no one’s lost their confidence and that’s what’s really weird,” Barry Bonds said after Friday night’s 9-2 loss to St. Louis “It almost feels like a big nightmare. Everybody’s out there with the same enthusiasm. Everybody’s out there pumping each other up. It just seems like a nightmare right now.”