Quirky win stokes hopes as Dodgers head to town

If you’ve ever had an old pet and struggled with a very sad decision, then the 2016 San Francisco Giants probably seem a little familiar.

Some days, there’s hope. Reason for optimism. Maybe it’s not time after all. Maybe

there are walks on the beach and fun games of fetch still ahead.

Other days are hopeless. Another mess on the floor. The end clearly in sight. The tough moment just around the corner.

Thursday, just one day after all hope seemed lost, was another good day for the Giants. A day when you could imagine that there is a tiny bit of magic still to be squeezed out of this aging season.

Now come the Dodgers, a team that can bring out the best in the Giants. A final weekend that will be rich with emotion, the curtain call for a legend and the desperate hunt for postseason dreams.

Maybe the nuttiness of the Giants’ sixthinning rally against the Rockies on Thursday will carry over to the final three days of the season. That three-run inning was built on the kind of even-year quirkiness that was the trademark of past Giants postseasons.

The rally? An infield single, an error, a bunt single, a fielder’s choice, a sac fly, and then a bunt single by pitcher Johnny Cueto that scored two runs, thanks to another Colorado error.

With the 7-2 victory over the Rockies, the Giants retained a onegame lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, who had an improbable walk-off win over Cincinnati. The Giants are one game behind the New York Mets, who were off Thursday. Cueto, who could pitch in a wild-card game next week, looked healthy in his first start since suffering a groin strain Sept. 20. He has been the Giants’ most reliable pitcher this season, and he was solid again Thursday.

The Dodgers will arrive in town ready for the postseason, having clinched the division Sunday. The Giants in Games 160, 161 and 162 will try one last time to gather the momentum and confidence that has eluded them the entire second half.

For 10 weeks, they have not looked like a postseason contender. Yet we know they have the potential and muscle memory to snap back into form. To be a dangerous October opponent.

The “just get in” crowd chants the mantra of 2010, 2012 and — in particular — 2014, when the Giants entered the postseason as a wild card. But even the “just get in” crowd has to admit how different this team seems from any of those versions of the Giants.

Those teams found a vibrancy in September. The “magic” surge of the 2010 Giants allowed them to push past the Padres and clinch the division on the last day of the season. The 2012 team won the division by eight games and played great down the stretch in September. Even the 2014 wild-card team could be certain it was going to the postseason long before it clinched the final spot.

These Giants have struggled to find the surge button. They don’t hit well. Their bullpen has been a disaster. The starting pitching has faltered at inopportune times.

They have stuttered and stalled, and at times, it has been almost painful to watch. Yet here they are, with three games to play. A wild card in reach.

And the hope that there are still a few more good days ahead.