Giants’ Struggles Continue in Loss to Nats

SAN FRANCISCO — A sellout crowd sat in stunned silence. Denard Span threw his hands up and asked anyone within earshot, "What happened?" Heads dropped on the bench, one after the next.It's hard to sum up two weeks of baseball with one play, but the Giants did it in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday. Brandon Crawford lined into a triple play with the bases loaded and the Giants down three. They lost 4-1 to the Nationals, dropping to 2-11 in the second half. Crews Battling 2 Fires in Clearlake, Evacuations Lifted The eighth inning started with a bunt single, bloop single and walk. Crawford, the Giants' leading RBI man, hit a liner to first that defensive replacement Ryan Zimmerman scooped an inch above the ground. He beat Buster Posey back to first for the second out and then winged a throw to third to get Span, who went halfway down the line thinking the ball had dropped. The triple play was the first for the Giants since Sept. 6, 2009.Jeff Samardzija was sharp early, and a double by Conor Gillaspie and single by Gregor Blanco gave him a lead in the second. Blanco's mental mistake in right helped the Nationals tie the game two innings later. With catcher Wilson Ramos on...