SAN FRANCISCO — There were no boos the last time the Giants gave up nine runs in an inning, at least not officially. It happened in the fifth inning on Aug. 16, 2020, and if the cardboard cutouts who were watching at Oracle Park that night felt some displeasure, it would have been impossible to tell.
When the Chicago White Sox put up nine runs in the fourth inning Friday night, it wasn’t hard to decipher which way the wind was blowing.
The Giants were met with healthy boos midway through their return home, and for good reason. The inning was the ugliest of a season that has gone off the rails, and there was no coming back from it. The Giants lost 9-4, dropping a fourth consecutive game.
Trevor McDonald has been one of the best stories of a wildly disappointing 2026 Giants season, but the wheels came off in the fourth inning, and in a hurry. The huge fourth inning left McDonald with his first loss in the big leagues and dropped the Giants to 20-31. They are half a game ahead of the Colorado Rockies at the bottom of the NL standings and already sit double-digit games back of two teams — the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres — in the NL West.
One Bad Frame
McDonald had thrown just 32 pitches through three perfect innings. He threw 34 in the fourth and was removed with two outs.
The inning started with a pair of hit batters, and the White Sox loaded the bases on an infield single. From there, they went walk, double, fielder’s choice, strikeout, single, hit-by-pitch, double, single, strikeout.
McDonald was charged with seven of the nine runs, which raised his ERA from 2.37 to 4.76. He had allowed just eight total earned runs in his previous eight big league appearances.
Next Time Up
McDonald was starting in place of Logan Webb, and up until Friday, he had done a really nice job as a fill-in. But Webb is on the way back, and McDonald has seen once already this season that it’s difficult to break through when you’re behind veterans on much bigger contracts.
While the Giants were scuffling, Webb made a rehab start up the road in Sacramento. He threw 62 pitches in 3 1/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and three walks. Webb should be back in the rotation next Wednesday when the Giants finish off this six-game homestand.
The Debut
Tony Vitello doesn’t use many pinch-hitters, but he found a good opportunity to get Victor Bericoto his first MLB at-bat. With a lefty on the mound and two down in the eighth, Bericoto hit for Drew Gilbert, but he wasn’t out there long.
Bericoto fell behind 0-2 and then aggressively swung through an elevated four-seamer from Brandon Eisert. He should get a few more cracks at that first hit this weekend. Vitello said he wants to get him involved, and the Giants face a left-handed starter on Sunday.