Trevor McDonald gave the Giants five steady innings Sunday against the Cubs, allowing one run and striking out six, but he still did not factor into the decision.
That is the kind of line the Giants have been searching for from a pitcher who has quickly become a useful rotation option. McDonald was recalled and inserted into the rotation at the start of May, and since then he has mostly held his own, building a 2-3 record with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP across 39 innings. He has also struck out 37 and walked 12 in seven starts, production that has helped keep him in the conversation as the club looks for stability behind its top arms.
Sunday’s outing against Chicago was efficient enough to matter. McDonald allowed four hits and three walks, but the Cubs scratched out only one run, with Moises Ballesteros driving it in during the third inning. Three of Chicago’s four hits came in that frame, yet McDonald worked through the rest of the game without letting the inning spiral, a sharp contrast to his seven-run outing May 22 against the White Sox. Even in a game that found its way into the broader flow of a Giants game search because of the matchup and the pitching line, the result was still the same: McDonald pitched well and left with no decision attached to it.
The no-decision is the friction point in an otherwise encouraging stretch. McDonald has been effective since his May recall, but he is still trying to turn those starts into something more concrete, either for the team or for his own place in the rotation. That next chance may come Saturday, when he is tentatively scheduled for a home rematch with the Cubs. If he repeats Sunday’s command, the Giants will have another reason to keep leaning on him.
