San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello spent much of his postgame media session discussing the controversial seventh-inning sequence that overshadowed Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

The turning point came on a disputed play at second base that resulted in the runner being called safe after umpires ruled Willy Adames had pushed the runner off the bag.

While the call itself was not reviewable, Vitello explained that the Giants were hoping replay officials could review the tag itself.

"We wanted to replay the tag out, whether he's safe or out," Vitello said. "Because it was a push, you can't replay that."

Vitello said he simply wanted the umpires to confer because of the significance of the play, adding that he was unsure what conversations took place between the crew.

"I just asked if it couldn't be corrected," Vitello said. "I said it was a big call. Twice, I said it was a big call."

The discussion ultimately led to Vitello's ejection, something he admitted caught him by surprise.

"Yeah, to be honest with you," Vitello said when asked if he was surprised by the ejection. "No magic words or anything like that. No curse words. I was walking back to the dugout."

Vitello noted that the sequence came during a critical point in the game as starter Landen Roupp was pitching exceptionally well. With the Giants holding a narrow lead, he viewed the play as one of the defining moments of the afternoon.

"You're on edge," Vitello said. "Roupp's throwing about as good as you can throw the ball."

The manager also defended Adames, who has found himself involved in several emotional moments throughout the series. Vitello praised the veteran shortstop's competitiveness and said the clubhouse rallied behind him.

"He's passionate about playing. Passionate about life," Vitello said. "Everybody's cheering for him like crazy."

Despite another narrow defeat, Vitello stopped short of blaming the loss solely on bad luck. However, he acknowledged the Giants have seen their share of unfortunate breaks during a difficult stretch.

"I think those things become more noticeable when you're not winning," Vitello said. "There's been more unfortunate things happen than you want there to."

Looking beyond Wednesday's result, Vitello viewed the six-game road trip as a valuable learning experience, particularly for the club's younger players.

While the Giants finished the trip with another frustrating loss, he emphasized that nearly every game was competitive and offered opportunities for growth.

"Six really competitive games," Vitello said. "A lot of different little things to pick out that I think are lessons learned for everybody involved."

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