Young SF Giants hurler making a case to stick after another promising start

Trevor McDonald put together another strong outing, allowing just one earned run across 6.1 innings in a 6 - 4 win over the A's. The young SF Giants pitcher is making a case to stick, even when Logan Webb returns from the injured list.

Webb was placed on the injured list on May 9 with a knee ailment. He is not eligible to return until May 25, meaning that McDonald might still get a couple more starts before that happens. On a positive note, Webb threw a bullpen session before Saturday's game, per Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants hope that Webb will look more like the All-Star pitcher he has been over the past few seasons. They will also need to find a way to keep McDonald in the rotation if he keeps throwing like this.

In three starts, he has pitched to a 2.37 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 19 innings of work. This includes a healthy 64.8 percent walk rate.

Young SF Giants pitcher has been effective in a limited showing

The right-handed pitcher has pitched sporadically over the past couple of years for the Giants. That said, he has been effective each time out, pitching to a 2.08 ERA in seven career outings.

McDonald has struggled to a 5.18 ERA across three seasons in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Pitching in the PCL can be a brutal task, and McDonald probably never wants to return. Most of the ballparks are at high elevations, so the ball jumps out often. The high elevation also impacts a pitcher's overall stuff. For example, breaking balls are not nearly as sharp, and that has often been the case for McDonald's slider.

Plus, the ABS challenge system has been in place for a couple of years. That has led to a spike in walk rates similar to what is happening in the majors at the moment. A lot of factors give hitters more of an advantage.

At times, it was hard to see McDonald's ability through the home runs and shaky control during his time in the PCL. That has not been the case during his time in the majors.

The 25-year-old pitcher has a blueprint for how to get outs a couple of different ways. His sinker induces a lot of ground balls, and his slider gets whiffs against right-handed hitters. McDonald will still need to show that he can consistently get left-handed hitters out, but the changeup did what it needed to do in those matchups in Saturday's game.

McDonald has already burned his final option year, so he will enter next season without any options remaining. It would behoove the Giants to give him an extended look, given how he has performed so far, and to have a good evaluation heading into the offseason. If they have to move one of their starters to the bullpen to make room in the rotation, then that is what they need to do.

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