Giants Snap Losing Streak with McDonald’s Strong Performance

SAN FRANCISCO — Trevor McDonald may not have been the main story in the Giants’ roster adjustments on Monday, but he did have a noteworthy outing as the third rookie of the day.

While top prospect Bryce Eldridge and the highly-touted rookie Jesus Rodriguez struggled to revitalize the Giants’ offense, McDonald exceeded expectations. The 24-year-old right-hander, who was called up for a spot start, managed to keep the Padres to just two hits and a single run across seven innings, leading to a 3-2 victory and kicking off a six-game homestand. With a dismal six-game winless streak on the road behind them, the team desperately needed this turnaround.

Eldridge, the Giants’ No. 1 prospect, returned to the majors last September after a brief stint and went hitless in two at-bats, accompanied by one walk. Rodriguez, who had a .330 batting average in Triple-A, showcased his unique stance but finished the day without a hit in three at-bats.

Instead, it was Casey Schmidt, who has become a familiar face in the lineup, who got the Giants on the board with a solo home run off Padres starter Randy Vasquez in the first inning. Schmidt’s homer marked the team’s first long ball since leaving home the previous Sunday, ending a six-game drought. Although this was their 20th home run of the season—still the lowest in the majors—it was Schmidt’s fifth, putting the Mets as the only team without a player hitting five or more home runs.

Caleb Killian earned his first career save, but it came with some tense moments. He allowed a 447-foot home run to Ramón Laureano on the first pitch of the inning, followed by hitting Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado to keep the one-run lead intact.

What It Means

The win ended the Giants’ losing streak from their previous road trip, which had stretched over six games.

With this home run victory, the Giants improved to 11-3. At home, however, their record remains a troubling 3 wins to 18 losses.

Who Is Hot

Rafael Devers contributed to the Giants’ final two runs, marking only the second time this season he’s had at least one RBI in a game, and the first since April 8. Luis Arraez had two doubles, both driven in by Devers, and added a single in the first inning to give the Giants a 2-1 edge. Following Schmidt’s home run, Devers also put the Giants back in front with a sac fly in the sixth inning.

Devers has been on a roll lately, hitting safely in his last five games, tying his longest streak this season and boosting his OPS from .530 last Sunday to .572.

Meanwhile, McDonald only allowed one hit, with Merrill’s solo shot in the first inning giving the Padres a brief 1-0 lead.

Schmidt had his last three homers the previous Saturday and has hit safely in nine of his last ten games, improving his average to .308 and OPS to .901 over that span.

Who Is Not?

The rest of the Giants’ lineup has been somewhat stagnant, allowing three runs or fewer for the 23rd time in 35 games this season, leading the league in that regard.

To the Next

The Giants will aim for a second straight victory on Tuesday against RHP Walker Buehler, who previously defeated them 3-2 in their second series this season. San Francisco has yet to announce a starting pitcher for that matchup.