The Diamondbacks scored six runs in the first inning, four because of the general wretchedness of Barry Zito and two because of a horrific error from Jose Guillen. It was a bad start.

After the semi-magic in the Reds series, though, it wasn't outlandish to hold out a little bit of hope. The Giants, down by five at the time, loaded the bases with one out. Barry Zito came up to the plate, and even the most cynical Giants fan out there thought, "OK, if Zito gets a hit, this game will get interesting again."

Zito hit the hardest ball he's ever hit as a Giant. There's no way he's hit a ball harder than that in the past four years. It, of course, went right to the second baseman, who doubled Uribe off second.

That's just how spectacularly awful this game was. It was a cornucopia of awful. It was poorly played, and the Giants couldn't find any more luck than they deserved. It was the kind of game that makes you want to forget about baseball for six or seven months, except that somehow the Giants are still fairly close to a playoff spot. Looking this poor against the Diamondbacks should automatically disqualify a team, but here the Giants are. Contenders.

You just watched a contending team. I'm sure you're just filled with confidence. Here's hoping the Giants won't get swept at home by a lousy team.