The Latest Breaking News from Tyler Rogers

What is this sorcery?!

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Standing an athletic 6-foot-3, Ross Stripling wants you to know that he can dunk. This is important because, as Stripling says with a chuckle, “I don’t have PTSD.” And wouldn’t you, if one attempt went so awry that it put your leg in a cast?

LOS ANGELES — A taxed Giants bullpen was asked to cover every inning against the Dodgers on Tuesday night with Alex Wood on the injured list, but all it took was a blip from one reliever to snap San Francisco’s four-game win streak.

SAN FRANCISCO — It couldn’t happen again. It wouldn’t, right? Surely, the thoughts racing through the heads of so many of the 41,257 Giants fans in attendance Saturday afternoon when Mike Yastrzemski stepped in against Brewers reliever Jandel Gustave with the bases loaded, tied at 1, in the bottom of…

PITTSBURGH — This season was supposed to be about the Pirates employing a left-handed hitter with a pretty and powerful swing, one capable of crushing homers and sending the PNC Park crowd home happy. Shoot, this homestead was supposed to be about that stuff.

SAN FRANCISCO — There was no possible way, no imaginable scenario, that Joc Pederson and the Giants could find an encore Wednesday to match the maniacal back-and-forth with the Mets from the previous night, featuring three Joc Jams.

SAN FRANCISCO — After back-to-back games when they squeezed one run from nine innings of opportunity, the Cardinals did a remix of their lineup and, as a new rhythm took hold, introduced a hitter they once thought was going to be part of their season all along.

SAN FRANCISCO — It doesn’t qualify as a free fall, but then again it’s not something the home fans are used to either.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Padres beat the Giants 4-2 thanks to one big hit and some little ones, as well as a sliding catch by Jurickson Profar that took away another big hit.