'We're capable of better': Giants looking for consistency in second half

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tony Vitello provided a frank response when asked how he would assess his first half as the Giants’ rookie manager.

“A learning experience, for sure,” Vitello said.

Vitello made history when he was hired to manage the Giants directly out of the University of Tennessee in October, but his transition to the big leagues has been bumpy, to say the least.

With a 3-1 win over the Rockies in their first-half finale at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, the Giants will head into the All-Star break fourth in the National League West with a 41-55 record.

It’s far from where the Giants expected to be coming into the season.

“You look at the personnel, it doesn't make sense,” Vitello said. “You look at the way we played some days, it doesn't make sense, but it's baseball. We haven't found that winning formula day in and day out.”

The formula ultimately worked out on Sunday thanks to a standout performance from rookie right-hander Trevor McDonald, who rebounded from a disastrous start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday to deliver seven innings of one-run ball and help the Giants take three of four from their division rivals.

McDonald surrendered a leadoff inside-the-park home run to Jake McCarthy on his second pitch of the game, but he leaned on his sinker to induce early contact and keep the Rockies off the board the rest of the way.

“I’ll take that into the break, for sure, and come back with some confidence and momentum,” said McDonald, who lowered his ERA to 5.02 over 13 starts this year. “I’m looking forward to the second half.”

The Giants tied the game on Drew Gilbert’s RBI single in the fourth inning and then went ahead by scoring two runs off Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela in the eighth. Rafael Devers led off with a walk, and Bryce Eldridge singled to put runners on the corners with one out. That prompted the Giants to send the speedy Grant McCray to pinch-run for Eldridge at first base.

The move paid off when McCray took off for second and drew an errant throw from Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, allowing Devers to score the go-ahead run from third. McCray advanced to third base on the play and then came home on Willy Adames’ RBI single to left field, extending the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

McDonald’s pitch count stood at 73 at the end of the seventh, but Vitello elected to turn the game over to his bullpen from there, with Keaton Winn and Erik Miller combining to throw two scoreless innings to seal the win for the Giants.

It was the type of complete win that the Giants have struggled to consistently put together this season.

There have been a few bright spots -- including Luis Arraez’s All-Star campaign, Casey Schmitt’s breakthrough season and Eldridge’s emergence as an everyday player -- but the Giants have too often found themselves weighed down by an erratic offense that ranks 24th in the Majors in runs scored. The pitching staff -- particularly the leaky bullpen – has left much to be desired as well, ranking 22nd in the Majors with a 4.46 ERA.

“It hasn’t been ideal,” Vitello said. “We’ve received poor fortune in the first half. Maybe some of it is our own doing, but regardless, we know we’re capable of better and keep pushing ahead.”

Given where they are in the standings, the Giants are almost certainly heading toward a reset at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, which could result in the departure of impending free agents like Arraez and left-hander Robbie Ray.

Until then, the Giants plan to use the All-Star break to reflect on what’s gone wrong and figure out a way to chart a path toward a more promising future.

“We haven’t put ourselves in a good position,” said right-hander Logan Webb, who will join Arraez in Philadelphia for the 2026 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday. “That’s pretty truthful, right? It’s not like we’ve played very well. I think we all just have to take a step back, look in the mirror and say, ‘What do we want to be? What do we want to be as a team? How do we want teams to view us when we come to town or they come to town?’

“I think Tony’s message -- and I think it’s been the message from the get-go -- is kicking people in the teeth. Punching them in the mouth. I don’t think we did a good job of that. I think that’s the message. There’s a lot of baseball left.”