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DENVER — When Alex Dickerson’s back tightened up and forced him to miss a pair of games in Milwaukee over the weekend, the left fielder explained he’s dealt with the pain off and on throughout his entire professional career.

If Dickerson wakes up feeling out of sorts on Wednesday, the back soreness he’ll experience might feel a little different.

No one would blame Dickerson if his back was ailing from carrying the Giants.

With a career-high four hits including the go-ahead single off Wade Davis in the top of the 10th inning, Dickerson propelled the Giants to a 8-4 victory that moved them out of last place in the National League West for the first time since May 19.

“Those runner in scoring position situations, that’s not a reason for me on offense to be nervous, that’s a reason for the pitcher to be nervous,” Dickerson said. “He’s the one that’s in a tough situation there from my point of view.”

Armed with a 4-1 lead entering the ninth inning, the cellar door was swung wide open and all the Giants needed was a Will Smith save to move into a tie for third place with the Rockies. The typically dominant Smith collapsed for the second time in three save chances, allowing a solo home run to shortstop Trevor Story and a game-tying two run blast to Rockies center fielder Ian Desmond.

The Rockies’ comeback effort didn’t faze the Giants as they rallied for four runs in the 10th as Dickerson, shortstop Brandon Crawford and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski all delivered RBI hits.

“We still felt like we had that game in control,” Dickerson said. “I think you saw that there. That’s as focused of an inning as you can have.”

In a sign of the apocalypse that revealed that this Giants run might be something special, the team scored its fourth run of the inning when Kevin Pillar sent a ball through the legs of Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado.

After spending nearly two months in the NL West basement, the Giants (46-49) climbed up the stairs and are now staring the Rockies directly in the eye as they’re back in third place for the first time since April 13.

Both clubs spending the week at Coors Field are now looking down on the last-place San Diego Padres.

Barring a catastrophic collapse, nothing stands in the way of the Dodgers and their seventh consecutive National League West crown. Los Angeles may hold a double-digit lead in the NL West, but since June 1, the Dodgers’ 24-15 record over their last 39 games is the exact same mark the Giants have posted.

A Phillies walk-off win on Tuesday prevented the Giants from narrowing a 3.0-game gap in the Wild Card race, but the Giants have now passed four teams in the Wild Card standings since the beginning of the month.

“It’s not going to matter unless we take care of what we need to take care of and that’s win ballgames,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “A little later, I might take a look at what’s going on, but I have an idea, I know how bunched up it is.”

To put their fourth consecutive series win on ice, the Giants needed critical contributions from all three outfielders.

Before his go-ahead single in the 10th, Dickerson flipped a two-strike pitch from Scott Oberg –one of the National League’s most dominant relievers– into left field for a valuable insurance run in the eighth inning.

“Crawford is behind me today and he annihilated them yesterday so I knew I was going to see some good pitches to hit,” Dickerson said. “That kind of stuff one through nine really helps you.”

In the bottom of the frame, Pillar made a sensational, full-extension diving catch to rob pinch-hitter Tony Wolters of a leadoff hit. Pillar added another outstanding catch in the 10th and has played tremendous defense throughout the series, but his grab to keep Wolters from reaching was one of the best defensive plays by a Giant this season.

“It’s unbelievable, he just puts on a show day in and day out,” Yastrzemski said. “To be able to have a front row seat right next to him and watch him do all that is fun.”

With San Francisco leading 3-1, Yastrzemski led off the top of the ninth with an opposite field home run into the left field bleachers for his second solo blast in as many days.

The night started with a strong outing from Drew Pomeranz, whose days with the Giants could have been numbered after he allowed eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings on May 31 against the Orioles, but the organization stuck with the left-hander and kept him in the rotation.

Pomeranz hasn’t pitched deep into games over the last six weeks, but he’s proven serviceable in a fifth starter role as he’s posted a 3.78 ERA over his last seven starts including Tuesday’s outing against the Rockies.

After surrendering four earned runs in just four innings in his last start before the All-Star break, Pomeranz tossed five shutout frames at Coors Field on Tuesday before he allowed a leadoff walk and single to open the bottom of the sixth.

“I was ready to get in the game and do anything I could to help, so it was definitely exciting to get out on the mound today,” said Pomeranz, who hadn’t started in 11 days. “It felt like forever.”

Trevor Gott was summoned from the bullpen and after allowing one of his inherited runners to score, the right-hander indcued a 6-3 double play to end the inning and preserve a 2-1 Giants lead.

The Giants took that lead in the second inning after Dickerson led off the frame with a single into right field. With one out, Dickerson came home on a double from right fielder Mike Yastrzemski that was a few feet shy of clearing the wall in the left field corner.

Pillar followed Yastrzemski with a tapper to the left side of the infield that nearly resulted in Yastrzemski being thrown out on the base path. Arenado gloved Pillar’s slow roller and tried to tag out Yastrzemski on his way to third, but the rookie slide in safely and eventually scored the Giants’ second run on an infield single from Joe Panik.

That was all the offense the run support the Giants afforded Pomeranz, who has quietly pitched his way onto the radar of contending clubs interested in acquiring a fifth starter or long reliever. Recent trades of veterans like Andrew Cashner and Homer Bailey proved there’s a market for rotation depth, even if the pitchers on the move may not project to contribute in October.

Teams in search of a pitcher with Pomeranz’s abilities aren’t looking for a game-changer who can be counted on early in a playoff series, but instead hoping to find a competent veteran who can fill the back end of a staff and won’t cost much to acquire.

Even if the Giants decide not to “sell” ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, they can part with Pomeranz and replace him in the rotation with a younger asset like Dereck Rodríguez or Andrew Suárez.