SAN FRANCISCO -- The scene at Oracle Park on Monday night was September baseball defined. Arizona and San Francisco, a half-game apart in the standings , took the field knowing one would gain a full game on the Mets, whom both are chasing for the third National League Wild Card spot .

For the second game in a row, the Diamondbacks failed to gain ground because they presented their opponent too many freebies. The Giants said “thank you” and ran away with an 11-5 victory that moved them three-games behind the Mets, whose tenuous hold on the final NL playoff spot took another hit with a 1-0 loss in Philadelphia.

The Diamondbacks returned below .500 at 72-73 and remained four games out of the playoff spot, with the Giants and Reds ahead of them.

The story was not merely Christian Koss

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