D-Backs collapse continues in 5-4 loss to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO - One of the calendar-circling moments of the Diamondbacks’ 2007 season came on a cool September evening, when Jeff Salazar hit a two-out, three-run home run to settle a game in the ninth inning.

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The D-Backs do not want to believe Tuesday was anything similar.

In the span of 30 seconds, however, the D-Backs lost to the Giants, 5-4, while their Los Angeles nemesis Andre Ethier was hitting a game-clinching double in San Diego to give the Dodgers a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL West with 18 to play.

“If we want to be playing in four weeks, it has to change,” said catcher Chris Snyder, whose two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning tied the game and seemed to swing the momentum back to the D-Backs.

Jon Rauch, however, gave up a first-pitch single to Pablo Sandoval in the last of the ninth, then walked Nate Schierholtz on a 3-1 count before exiting, and then Eugenio Velez grounded a one-out single to right field to score Sandoval, who slid safely around Snyder’s tag.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Rauch of the frustration level after falling to 0-5 with a 6.41 ERA with the D-Backs.

“If you think I’m going to sit here and talk about how (bleep) up I’ve been pitching, how I keep making mistakes left and right and it keeps putting this team farther and farther out of playoff contention ...

“I really just don’t know what to do right now. I wish I had an answer.”

The D-Backs (71-73) lost for the fifth straight time, tying their longest losing streak of the season, and fell two games under .500.

“We brought Jon in to be a guy to pitch late innings for us,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Once he couldn’t get those guys out, we had to do something different.”

After Snyder’s home run, his 15th, “that’s when you have to shut the other team down,” Melvin said, “and have a chance to find a way (to score) again. I thought several times we had opportunities, especially after Snyder’s home run.

“We just couldn’t close the deal,” he added.

The D-Backs have been outscored, 33-11, on the trip, which concludes today.

“It’s obviously been a frustrating trip for us to this point,” Melvin said. “All you can do is win (today) and get back on a roll.”

Doug Davis gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings, the sixth straight start in which he gave up three runs or less.

Davis left after giving up a game-tying single to Bengie Molina in the sixth. The game stayed that way until Fred Lewis and Rich Aurilia had run-scoring hits off Tony Pena in a two-run eighth.

Turning point: Eugenio Velez grounded a single to right field with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in the winning run.

Stat of the game: Barry Zito had nine strikeouts, none on a pitch faster than 88 mph.

Unsung hero: Chris Snyder’s two-run home run, extending his career high to 15, in the top of the ninth inning tied the game at 4-4.

Hitting pitcher: Doug Davis had a run-scoring single against Zito, nothing new for D-Backs pitchers this season. Brandon Webb had a two-run single here April 16 and a two-run double at Chase Field on April 22.