Giants avoid being swept by Dodgers as McDonald deals, offense finds late life

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on Sep 21, 2025

Published in Baseball

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LOS ANGELES — On Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, Trevor McDonald made the first start of his major-league career. Against a playoff-bound team, McDonald proved himself worthy of making another.

The rookie right-hander turned in the best outing of his young career as San Francisco (77-79) beat Los Angeles 3-1 at Chavez Ravine, avoiding being swept after dropping the first three games of this four-game set. Over six-plus innings, McDonald held one of baseball’s best offense to one run while totaling three strikeouts and 11 whiffs.

“He’s my favorite pitcher to play behind,” said top prospect Bryce Eldridge. “Works quick, throws strikes. Makes our job a lot easier. So I’m very happy for him. That was awesome going against that lineup. That was badass.”

Eldridge, making his first career start at first base, played no small in the win. On Saturday, Eldridge generated three runs with his bat as he recorded the first hit of his career. On Sunday, Eldridge saved two runs — at the minimum — with his glove.

In the bottom of the seventh, with runners on second and third with one out, pinch-hitter Tommy Edman turned on a cutter by Spencer Bivens that looked destined to roll down the right-field foul line and score a pair of runs.

Enter Eldridge, who used his six-foot-seven frame to make a diving catch, then fired to third to double off Pages. Chapman picked Eldridge’s throw out of the dirt, the double play was complete and the inning was over.

Eldridge hasn’t often practiced that throw from first to third during his scholarship of first base, praising Chapman for scooping the low throw.

“I told him I’d get him back a few times,” Eldridge said. “This is the first time I’ve had PitchCom in my ear, so it’s a little bit easier to anticipate where the ball is going to be hit. I knew the ball was going to be pitched in on him and he had been hooking some foul balls. I was just trying to get a beat on it, and once I saw the ball coming at me, made an effort to go get it.”

Said manager Bob Melvin: “That was the key play of the game to keep it there. Biv typically will keep the ball on the ground — which he did there — but you get it in Eldridge’s hands and now he’s got to make a throw across the diamond too. He hadn’t been out there and he has to make a key throw, so it was good to see that too.”

Before Eldridge and Chapman turned the inning-ending double play in the seventh, San Francisco’s middle infielders collaborated to turn an equally crucial double pay in the sixth.

Shohei Ohtani led off the sixth by lunging at a well-placed down-and-away changeup, shatting his bat but muscling a soft line drive into right field for a single. With Ohtani on first, McDonald used a sinker to induce a grounder off the bat of Mookie Betts.

Shortstop Willy Adames went into a short slide and fielded Betts’ grounder on the backhand. From his knees, Adames fired to second baseman Christian Koss. Instead of stopping his momentum, Koss received the ball as he tagged the bag, then made a leaping throw to Eldridge.

“That was awesome,” McDonald said. “That really fired me up. That was the stuff you see on SportsCenter Top 10. It was sick and it really helped me out a lot. The whole team played behind me today and it was awesome.”

Immediately following Eldridge’s inning-ending double play, the Giants’ offense finally found life by putting up a three-spot against reliever Blake Treinen, who was showered with boos as he was taken out of the game in the middle of the inning.

Patrick Bailey tied the game at one apiece, coming off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit, ground-rule double that scored Koss. Rafael Devers was intentionally walked with one out to load the bases, then Willy Adames followed by drawing a nine-pitch walk to score another run. Matt Chapman’s check-swing groundout scored Bailey to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.

Joey Lucchesi pitched a scoreless eighth and recorded the first out in the ninth before handing the baton to closer Ryan Walker, who retired both batters he faced to seal the win.

The Giants will now return home to San Francisco after losing five of seven on this road trip for their final six games of the season: three against the St. Louis Cardinals, three against the Colorado Rockies. The Mets and Reds are now tied for the third NL wild-card spot, leaving the Giants three games back of both teams. Per FanGraphs, the Giants’ playoff odds currently sit at 0.3%.

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