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 struck out four over seven innings of one-run ball.
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.
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.