None of this is happening in a vacuum. San Francisco sits at 42-58 and is widely expected to be sellers before the Aug. 6 trade deadline, while Kansas City isn't far behind at 41-60. This was a game between two teams with bigger conversations happening above their heads than what's on the field, and it still delivered a tight finish.
San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals
Mon Jul 206:40 PM CT
By JR·1 min read
TLDR: Two teams playing out the string in the standings still managed a one-run thriller in Kansas City, and it took a ninth-inning scare before the Royals closed it out.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
 KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
San Francisco Giants
- Won 2 of last 3 before this series
- McDonald had a strong prior start (7 IP, 1 ER)
- 42-58, among the worst records in baseball
- Missing Chapman, Bader, Bericoto and Cox
Kansas City Royals
- Won 3 of last 5 including a 19-run outburst
- Beat the Giants in this very game
- 41-60 with a rotation stripped by injuries (Ragans, Bubic, Marsh)
- Witt Jr. exited with back tightness
Trevor McDonald and Michael Wacha both came in scuffling, and the Monday matinee lived up to that billing before it got weird. McDonald was cruising early for San Francisco, but he didn't finish what he started, exiting after 4 innings with an undisclosed injury. Wacha, fresh off a 6-run beatdown in his last outing against the Mets, needed a bounce-back and got one, going the rest of the way to help Kansas City hang on.
Trevor McDonald
(3-7)·5.12 ERA
Jul 12 vs Rockies
ND
7.0IP
1ER
4K
1BB
73P
07/20 Lineup
Michael Wacha
(5-8)·3.51 ERA
Jul 9 @ Mets
L
4.2IP
6ER
5K
3BB
104P
07/20 Lineup
The injury news out of this one matters more than the box score for both clubs. McDonald's early exit adds another arm to a Giants pitching staff already gutted by injuries, and Bobby Witt Jr. leaving with back tightness is the kind of thing that sends a jolt through a Royals lineup that leans on him for everything. Neither is officially devastating yet, but both are worth tracking over the next few days.