Wild weekend: Battered Giants need to rise up vs. first-place D’backs

They are battered champions, down on points in the late rounds,with just one viable hope to prevail. To keep alive any chance of defending their title, the Giants must throw haymakers, andthey must begin landing them Friday when the first-place ArizonaDiamondbacks arrive to begin a three-game series at AT&TPark. The upstart Diamondbacks lead the NL West by six games with 25to play. They are romping on a nine-game winning streak, hittinggobs of home runs, maintaining belief in one another while rippingoff power-packed victories in the late innings. They are playingloose and having a blast.