how to respond to the question.The Giants had just rallied for four runs with two outs in the ninth inning Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ beleaguered bullpen for a 5-2 victory.And then someone asked San Francisco’s manager if he felt sorry for the Dodgers http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , whose bullpen lost its fourth consecutive game with closer Kenley Jansen on the disabled list.“Excuse me?” Bochy said.Then came the laughter.The Giants could afford to chuckle after pinch-hitter Nick Hundley drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a single. San Francisco tacked on two more runs after that.“What a great comeback,” Bochy said. “We had some really great at-bats there in the ninth. Hundley, it doesn’t get any more clutch than that. He came through at the right time.“Great comeback on the road. It’s been a while since we have had one like that.”The Giants improved to .500, while the Dodgers fell one game behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the crowded NL West. San Francisco is just five games out of first.The ending was familiar for the Dodgers, who wasted a masterful performance by Clayton Kershaw. The left-hander held the Giants to one run in eight innings, allowing four hits, striking out nine and walking none.And then the bullpen threw it away.“They’re doing the best they can,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They’re trying to make pitches. They’re in uncharted territory.”Kershaw turned the ninth over to Scott Alexander (2-1), part of the late-inning committee the Dodgers have used since Jansen went on the disabled list Thursday with an irregular heartbeat.The Giants loaded the bases with two outs before Hundley lined a two-run single to center.“Bases loaded, tying run at third, you are afforded the luxury of being aggressive in that spot based on his approach,” Hundley said. “Thankfully I got a good pitch to hit.”Ray Black (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the Giants, and Will Smith worked the ninth to earn his ninth save in 11 opportunities.Kershaw blooped a double to score Los Angeles’ first run, and Justin Turner’s homer gave the Dodgers a brief 2-0 lead.NO RELIEFThe Dodgers have now lost four straight because they lack an obvious replacement for Jansen. Los Angeles was struggling to identify an eighth-inning set-up man and now has no closer.“It’ll turn,” Roberts said. “It’s been a tough four games, but we have to keep getting leads and putting teams away.”ANOTHER LEFTY DUELIt was the 11th time Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner have faced each other, the most of any two active pitchers. Bumgarner allowed two runs in six innings.“The guys did an unbelievable job coming back there,” Bumgarner said. “It was a good game on both sides. (Kershaw) was better than me tonight for sure, but we were better than they were. I think that is a good way to put it.”TRAINER’S ROOMGiants: SS Brandon Crawford left the game in the bottom of the fourth after colliding with OF Gorkys Herndandez on Kershaw’s bloop double. He appeared to take a knee to the head from Hernandez and is on concussion protocol. … 1B Brandon Belt (hyper extended right knee) made a second rehab start Monday, but it was uncertain whether he would rejoin the Giants in Los Angeles on Tuesday. … RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder inflammation) threw a simulated game Monday. Bochy said he threw about 30 pitches.Dodgers: 2B Brian Dozier left the game after the eighth, complaining of dizziness. Roberts said Dozier had an abnormal EKG and was scheduled for additional tests. … John Axford, one of the few relievers with closing experience, is headed for the disabled list. Roberts said Axford had a slight fracture atop his right fibula. “He’ll be down a couple, two or three weeks Jonny Venters Jersey ,” Roberts said.UP NEXTGiants: LHP Andrew Suarez (4-8, 4.64 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday. The rookie will attempt to overcome a recent downturn that has seen him go 1-3 with a 7.43 ERA in his last five starts.Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (7-6, 3.58) is scheduled to come off the disabled list and make his first start since leaving his Aug. 3 outing with a sore hip. Wood missed only one start. Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline has passed with the biggest story of the day being a move that didn't happen.After reportson Monday that the Washington Nationals were making Bryce Harper available in a trade, general manager Mike Rizzo squashed any hope opposing teams had about acquiring the 2015 National League MVP."Bryce is not going anywhere," Rizzo told Chelsea Janes of theWashington Post. "I believe in this team."While the Nationals are fighting for their playoff lives, the surging Pittsburgh Pirates used this opportunity to boost their starting rotation by acquiring Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays, per Stephen J. Nesbitt of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.Per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Rays are receiving outfielder Austin Meadows and right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow in the deal.The Pirates have gone 16-9 in July to get within 3.5 games of the second wild card spot in the National League. Archer is their big play to make up that deficit and lead their starting rotation for the next three years if Pittsburgh exercises his team options through 2021.Those were the top stories of the non-waiver trade deadline, but playoff contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks all made deals before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff.Pirates Use Strength to Fill Weakness in Rotation with ArcherEven though the Pirates are very much in the thick of the NL playoff race this season, Archer's contract made him a perfect trade target for the small-market franchise:Joel Sherman Joelsherman1Archer is signed for 3 yrs at $27M 2019-21 (counting options). So even if #Pirates cant make up the gap for wild card or NL Central this year, they have a good starter under team-friendly deal going forward.While Archer remains a solid starting pitcher,Baseball America's JJ Cooper noted things have changed for all parties involved in the trade:JJ Cooper jjcoop36The idea of trading Glasnow and Meadows for Archer two years ago would have also made sense also. All 3 have seen their values diminish somewhat over past 2 years.Archer does have a 4.31 ERA through 17 starts this season, but he's averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings with aFIPof 3.62, perBaseball Reference. The 29-year-old's upside in Pittsburgh's rotation made him too enticing to pass up in what has been a swift turnaround for the franchise.Colin Dunlap colin_dunlapIn a 13 day span, the Pirates went from seeing what they potentially could possibly get for David Freese to potentially buying Chris Archer.Like, what. the. hell.Andrew Fillipponi ThePoniExpressKela. Check.Archer. Check.Kept Keller. Check.Neal Huntington, we are not worthy.Great Job Pirates.Mike Petriello mike_petrielloI am very interested to see how this Archer trade works out because right now it seems like PIT might be giving up more to get Archer than they got back for Cole, and that seems... not right.ESPN Stats amp; Info ESPNStatsInfoHow does a change of scenery sound for Chris Archer?He has a 4.02 career ERA against the AL East (4.89 ERA this year), but a 3.40 career ERA vs all other divisions MxZjXPxOlFAfter tradingGerritCole to the Houston Astros in the offseason, the Pirates needed to add a starter with swing-and-miss stuff. Their rotationranks23rd in MLB with 7.41 strikeouts per nine innings.Archer's ability to miss bats will be critical for Pittsburgh. Getting out of the American League East can only help improve his numbers.The Pirates were trading from an area of strength becauseGlasnowwas pitching out of the bullpen because of his inability to throw strikes consistently. The 24-year-old has issued 91 walks in 141.1 innings in his MLB career Matt Moore Jersey , including 34 in 56 innings this season.When Corey Dickerson returns from his hamstring injury, Meadows doesn't have a spot on Pittsburgh's 25-man roster. Starling Marte and GregoryPolancoare secure in center field and right field.The Pirates have been waiting years forGlasnowand Meadows to hone their talents and become key contributors at the MLB level. The chance to acquire Archer pushed them to finally move them.The Rays, who are always operating under strict financial constraints, can afford to wait forGlasnowand Meadows to put everything together. A change of scenery could serve both players well at this stage of their careers, because they know an opportunity to play regularly will be available.Nationals Place Risky Bet on Future by Not Trading Bryce HarperThe Nationals moved all of their chips to the center of the table, hoping they will be able to make up a 5.5-game deficit in the National League East and wild-card races in the season's final two months.Grant Paulsen granthpaulsenThe Nationals should not sell any key pieces. They arent far enough out of the race and the teams in front of them arent good enough to run away from them. They also shouldnt give anything up to add rentals. Not good enough to do that.Harper is eligible for free agency this offseason and could price himself out of Washington, though there may have been other factors at play for the team in potential trade discussions:Jon Heyman JonHeymanrivals continue to believe bryce harper is long shot to be traded. nats are only 5.5 games out amp;amp; theyd risk fan revolt. also, they wouldnt get haul as rental. os did well getting yusniel plus 4 for machado. but market is better for a ss/3B amp;amp; manny was hitting 100 points higherPerJeffPassanof Yahoo Sports, the Nationals have been a mess behind the scenes this season with manager Davey Martinez making some players feel "marginalized" in the organization:"One recent example, [sources] said, was following Saturday's loss to Miami. J.T.Realmuto, the Marlins' All-Star catcher and a player coveted by the Nationals all winter, blooped a bases-loaded single down the right-field line for a walk-off victory.Harper's response after the game: 'If that guy was on our side, itwouldn't have happened. Tough luck.'""A number of people inside the organization saw Harper's comment as unprofessional and potentially divisive among his teammates, according to sources. Though all acknowledged the seed of truth in it, they also wondered why the Nationals would needRealmutoto win when they haven't done so with a surfeit of talent already."Based on their current place in the standings, the Nationals are in the thick of the NL playoff race. They've just struggled to play up to their potential after winning 97 games last season.If the Nationals miss the postseason in 2018, they risk losing Harper with their only compensation being a draft pick who might contribute to the franchise years down the line.Wide-Open NL Playoff Race Created Trade FrenzySticking with the National League, the current playoff picture created a flurry of activity at the deadline with teams trying to gain an edge.Here's a rundown of the key moves from NL clubs currently fighting for one of the five available postseason spots:Jeff Passan JeffPassanSource: Brian Dozier is headed to the Dodgers. jcrasnick had it done and Ken_Rosenthal close. Dodgers are sliding just under luxury tax, as Doziers AAV is only $5M per year.Robert Murray ByRobertMurray#DBacks acquired Jake Diekman from #Rangers in exchange for Wei-Chieh Huang, source tells The Athletic.Ken Rosenthal Ken_RosenthalSource: #Brewers get Schoop from #Orioles.Jon Morosi jonmorosi#Cubs have acquired Brandon Kintzler from #Nats, source confirms Ken_Rosenthal and sahadevsharma report. MLB MLBNetworkJon Heyman JonHeymansources: braves have deal for gausmanJeff Passan JeffPassanSource: Wilson Ramos has been traded to Philadelphia.The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, currently separated by one loss in the National League West, played a game of one-upmanship by addressing areas of need.Dodgers second basemen were hitting a collective .211/.309/.315 with seven homers this season. Brian Dozier is having a down season by his standards with a .224/.305/.402 slash line http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , but his track record suggests he could be in line for a strong final two months:ESPN Stats amp; Info ESPNStatsInfoThe Dodgers just keep adding power.In the last 5 seasons, Brian Dozier has 143 HR, 38 more than any other 2nd baseman EQv8fnsE4eThe Diamondbacks countered Los Angeles' move by adding JakeDiekmanto their bullpen in a trade with the Texas Rangers.CJ Nitkowski CJNitkowskiJake Diekmans splits with the Rangers:Home: 21G, 18IP, 17K, 18BB, 7.50ERARoad: 22G, 21IP, 31K, 5BB, 0.43ERAHes been dealing lately, FB has been 95-98. ARI goes to TEX for two games later this month but otherwise he avoids GLP the rest of the season. Nice add by ARI.One team that seemed primed to add a starting pitcher was the Milwaukee Brewers, though they decided to take a different approach at the deadline.Milwaukee's rotation ERA has been solid at 3.85, butJhoulysChacinand Freddy Peralta are the only members of the group with aFIPunder 4.10.Rather than pursue a big-time starter, the Brewers added JonathanSchoopto their lineup after previously acquiring MikeMoustakasfrom the Kansas City Royals.Bob Nightengale BNightengaleThe #Brewers, who seemingly opened the year with too many outfielders and first basemen, now have 2 third basemen or 2 second basemen with Jonathan Schoop traded from #OriolesThe Philadelphia Phillies made a bold move to acquire Wilson Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays. The All-Star catcher is currently on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, but his bat will be a huge upgrade in Philadelphia's lineup when he returns:ESPN Stats amp; Info ESPNStatsInfoThe Phillies are receiving a major upgrade at catcher with Wilson Ramos. Ramos has provided greater results than all of the Phillies catchers combined this season. swEBfLS4qlCompared to the American League, where four of the five playoff teams appear to be locks at this point, the NL remains wide-open.The top seven teams are all within four games of each other. Four other teams are within 5.5 games of the second wild-card spot.Keep in mind, though, that teams can still make deals through Aug. 31 on the waiver market. Even though some teams sat things out today, there will be plenty of chances to make a move that can shift the balance of power in the playoff races.