WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — The San Francisco Giants built an early lead and weathered a late surge from the Athletics, winning 6-4 on Saturday at Sutter Health Park. Two home runs from Casey Schmitt and a solid start from right-hander Trevor McDonald propelled the Giants to their second victory in three games, a day after losing the series opener.

McDonald allowed one run over six innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven. He improved to 2-0 on the season. Matt Gage pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the year.

The Giants scored first when Schmitt led off the top of the first inning with a solo home run to left field, his seventh of the season. San Francisco added two more runs in the third inning. After Jung Hoo Lee singled and Luis Arraez walked, Schmitt singled to load the bases. Willy Adames then lined a two-run single to right field, scoring Lee and Arraez. Adames was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.

In the fifth inning, Schmitt struck again. With Arraez on base after a walk, Schmitt launched his second home run of the game, an eighth-inning-style blast to right field that gave the Giants a 5-0 lead. The Giants extended the advantage to 6-0 in the seventh inning on a double by Matt Chapman that scored Rafael Devers, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

The Athletics got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Lawrence Butler walked, moved to third on a single by Darell Hernaiz and scored on a fielder’s choice groundout by Jeff McNeil. It was McNeil’s only run batted in of the game.

The Giants collected 14 hits, with Adames, Schmitt and Arraez each recording two hits. Schmitt drove in three runs. Devers added a double, and Harrison Bader had a single.

Athletics starter Luis Severino took the loss, falling to 2-5. He pitched six innings, allowing 10 hits and five runs while striking out seven. Scott Barlow worked the eighth inning, giving up two hits and one run with two strikeouts.

The Athletics mounted a comeback in the eighth inning. Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers drew consecutive walks off Giants reliever Taylor Rogers. After Tyler Soderstrom flied out, Brent Rooker crushed a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his sixth home run of the season, a three-run shot that cut the Giants’ lead to 6-4. Rooker finished the game with two hits and three RBIs.

Gage entered in the ninth and retired the side in order, striking out Colby Thomas and getting Darell Hernaiz and Jonah Heim to ground out.

The Athletics managed only six hits in the game. Soderstrom doubled in the first inning, Langeliers singled in the fourth, and Hernaiz doubled in the seventh. The Giants defense turned a double play in the sixth inning.

The game drew 12,489 fans and lasted 2 hours, 34 minutes.

The Giants improved to 19-27 with the win, while the Athletics fell to 23-22. The two teams meet again Sunday in the rubber match of the three-game series. After that, San Francisco travels to Arizona for a three-game set, while the Athletics head to Los Angeles to face the Angels.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Athletics 6, Giants 5. Interstat’s ELO system had given the Athletics a 51.90 percent probability to win. The Athletics were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 10 runs went under the over/under line of 9.5.