Trevor McDonald rebounded with a quality start, but the San Fancisco Giants’ offense struggled once again.
For the San Francisco Giants, Wednesday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks carried significance beyond simply avoiding a sweep. That didn't happen, though, as the Diamondbacks posted a 3-2 win over the Giants.
Rookie right-hander Trevor McDonald entered the matchup coming off the roughest outing of his young season after allowing seven earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings during his previous appearance.
Despite the recent struggles, McDonald delivered a much-needed bounce-back performance and gave the Giants a chance to compete throughout the afternoon.
The rookie starter pitched 6 1/3 innings while allowing six hits and two earned runs with two walks and six strikeouts. He consistently attacked the strike zone, throwing 62 strikes on 86 pitches while limiting hard contact for most of the game.
Outside of a difficult sixth inning in which Arizona finally broke through offensively, McDonald looked composed and effective against a dangerous Diamondbacks lineup. His outing also arrives at an important point for San Francisco’s rotation, which has lacked stability in recent weeks.
Giants Strike First Early
San Francisco grabbed the game’s first lead in the bottom of the third inning behind Luis Arraez. With runners aboard, Arraez lined a two-run single that scored Drew Gilbert and Willy Adames to give the Giants a 2-0 advantage.
Arraez finished with two of the Giants’ few hits on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park and continued to provide reliable contact in an offense that has struggled to consistently generate production. Unfortunately for San Francisco, the third inning represented nearly all of the offense the club managed the rest of the game.
Bullpen Trouble Changes Momentum
After McDonald exited in the seventh inning, reliever Matt Gage encountered immediate trouble. Facing his first batter, Gage committed a fielding error on a ball hit by Corbin Carroll that allowed the bases to become loaded.
Arizona capitalized moments later when Geraldo Perdomo delivered a sacrifice fly that tied the game and charged another run to McDonald, although it would be unearned. The Diamondbacks later pushed across the go-ahead run in the inning, taking a 3-2 lead that ultimately held up as the final score.
Reliever Caleb Killian provided quality work afterward with two scoreless innings while striking out one batter and throwing 14 strikes on 19 pitches. However, the Giants’ offense could not respond late.
Offensive Issues Continue
The Giants, once again, struggled to create offense consistently, something that has become a defining issue throughout much of the season. Outside of Arraez’s production, San Francisco generated little traffic on the bases and failed to mount any meaningful late-inning rallies.
With the loss, the Giants fell to 22-34 overall and 12-16 at home while extending their losing streak to three games. They remain in fourth place in the National League West and now trail the division-leading Dodgers by 13 1/2 games.
San Francisco will have Thursday off before beginning a three-game road series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Logan Webb is expected to return from the Injured List and start the opener.
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