What we learned as Giants eliminated from playoff race with loss to Cardinals

SAN FRANCISCO — The end was all too familiar for the 2025 Giants. Their bullpen, torn apart by trades and injuries, fell apart in the late innings at Oracle Park. The lineup, so inconsistent all year, failed to bring in a runner from scoring position in the bottom of the ninth. With their 9-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, the Giants officially were eliminated from the MLB playoff race. They will miss the postseason for the eighth time in nine years, and this is one of their worst collapses yet. They were 11 games over .500 when they acquired Rafael Devers in June, but they’ll need to win out just to finish at 81-81. The elimination number was two entering the day, and that got cut in half when the New York Mets staged a big comeback at Wrigley Field. The Giants needed a win to stay alive, and for a while it seemed they would get it. Logan Webb got off to a nightmare start, allowing five hits and three runs in the top of the first. It would have been worse, but longtime Giants-killer Nolan Arenado bounced into a double play after the night started with three consecutive hits. Webb settled in from there and the Giants gave him...