SAN FRANCISCO — To snap out of a concerning downward spiral that saw seven straight series losses, a Giants team built to win as a collective needed a few individuals to step out and lead.

A rookie home debut. A near-no-hitter. An impassioned speech. It took all these things to dig the Giants out of a slump and get them rolling into a crucial series victory against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Giants lost their potential series sweeper, 4-1, on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park. Logan Webb allowed two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts in his outing. It was no biggie: The Giants began this series a half-game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild card spot, the Reds 1.5 games back of them, and ended it tied with the Diamondbacks for the third spot with Cincinnati one game back of them. Baby steps.

“They shut us down (today),” manager Gabe Kapler said. “But the momentum from the last several games hasn’t changed.”

The Giants were struggling when this home stand began. They’d lost 14 of their last 17 games, primarily against teams with winning records, and started to slip out of the wild card picture. Against the Tampa Bay Rays, Braves (twice) and Phillies, the Giants often looked out of steam, out of sorts, and not much like a playoff team that could compete with the game’s best.

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