McDonald shines, Giants snap six-game skid with 3-2 win over Padres

Oracle Park finally got the kind of night the Giants needed badly, one that felt less like damage control and more like a reset. Trevor McDonald, called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, delivered seven innings of two-hit ball as San Francisco beat the Padres 3-2 and stopped a six-game skid after a punishing road trip.

McDonald gave the Giants exactly what had been missing through three walk-off losses in four days and a 0-6 trip that left the club searching for traction. The right-hander did not walk a batter, struck out eight and worked through the Padres with the poise of a pitcher trying to claim a place on the staff. His seven innings matched his career high as a starter, first set Sept. 26, 2025, against Colorado. He also absorbed a 102.9 mph liner off his right hip in the fifth inning and stayed in the game.

The biggest jolt at the plate came from Casey Schmitt, whose home run opened the scoring and gave the Giants their first homer in 223 plate appearances since his shot against Miami on April 26. For a team that had gone homerless across the entire road trip, the first multi-city power drought since 2008, Schmitt’s blast mattered beyond the scoreboard. San Francisco’s six-game homer drought was also its longest since a seven-game stretch from April 5 to 12, 2024.

Luis Arraez added two doubles and scored twice, while Rafael Devers drove in two runs to help build the cushion McDonald protected. The Padres made it tense late, with Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano both going deep, Laureano’s ninth-inning homer pulling San Diego within 3-2. Caleb Kilian then finished it off for his first career save.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said McDonald was “making pitches” and “throwing a little harder than what he was throwing all year,” while also suggesting San Diego made the outing easier than it needed to be. On the Giants’ side, the performance landed as a “big moment, big opportunity” for McDonald, and Tony Vitello would not say when the right-hander might get the ball next, though he said McDonald is likely to force his way into the rotation or bullpen.

For San Francisco, the win was about more than ending a losing streak. After the road trip’s blowups and the return home under pressure, Oracle Park gave the Giants a night that felt stabilizing, a reminder that one sharp start and one well-timed swing can still change the mood in the city.