Whisenhunt, Eldridge headline SF Giants’ rookie contributions in win vs. Astros

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants got significantly younger after making five trades that sent away six major leaguers at last week’s trade deadline. Bryce Eldridge even quipped that the team looked like the “San Francisco River Kitties,” an allusion to the team’s Triple-A affiliate. A good chunk of their wins over the next month-and-a-half, then, could resemble Tuesday night.

Carson Whisenhunt delivered a solid start and collected his third win. Bryce Eldridge hit his 12th home run, an impressive opposite-field shot. Drew Cavanaugh collected two hits, an RBI and his first career steal. Drew Gilbert drove in a run and drew a walk. Behind those contributions from a quartet of rookies, the Giants beat the Houston Astros 4-1 at Oracle Park.

It was a win that might’ve been made possible thanks to some strong language.

“[Whisenhunt] said to me today, “How about both of us stop being ‘B’ words,” Eldridge said. “He shoves, and I go deep. That’s where I’m talking about the whole River Cat thing. The young guys, we’re all picking each other up, and we’re rallying behind each other. So, it’s really exciting.”

“The more the younger guys can play, the more comfortable they’ll get on the field, too,” Whisenhunt said. “So, just kind of moving forward, gives them a little bit more confidence. Same for myself, and just being able to play a little more free.”

Whisenhunt teetered on the edge of disaster in his first two innings but ended his night with a fine enough line, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings with two strikeouts to three walks.

The lefty featured one of his more diverse mixes of the season, still leaning on his changeup (37) and four-seam fastball (29) but mixing in plenty of sliders (16) and sinkers (14). He played with a “bigger” slider, one that was slower but with more horizontal movement, and got four-time All-Star Yordan Alvarez to flail at one.

If the Astros landed one big swing, however, Whisenhunt might’ve been given an early hook.

Whisenhunt needed 55 pitches to complete the first and second, allowing the Astros to load the bases in both frames. In the latter frame, Whisenhunt had to contend with Alvarez, the favorite to win AL MVP, with the bases loaded. His back against the wall, Whisenhunt limited Alvarez to a sacrifice fly, the only run he allowed on the night.

For all the pitches in the first and second, Whisenhunt was incredibly efficient over his next three frames. The lefty needed 12 pitches to complete the third and fifth innings, as well as just five to complete the fourth. Whisenhunt said he didn’t just start attacking more but went back to an older, lower arm slot, which allowed him to be more consistent.

Whisenhunt had struggled in his last three starts leading up to Tuesday, allowing 14 earned runs and walking nine batters over his last 11 2/3 innings. The Giants are going to give Whisenhunt plenty of opportunities to prove he can stick as a starter the rest of the way. He can’t afford to play with fire as he did against Houston, but the way he ended his night was encouraging enough.

“The only common thing I see — and this is more third-grade stuff than anything — is when he’s in a rush with his delivery, he’s not as good,” said manager Tony Vitello. “He’s done some pretty good things so far. He’s young, and he’s learning. He can continue to do those things when he’s at his best. But I think sometimes he works against himself, either going too fast mentally or going too fast physically. Sometimes, they’re tied into one another.”

Eldridge’s home run, a solo shot, was the latest exhibition of his game-changing power, an opposite-field, 423-foot blast that cleared the left-center field fence on a cold San Francisco (50-70) night with feet to spare. He’d been struggling since the calendar flipped to August, entering play hitting .233/.281/.267 with no home run, but a swing that impressive could be the one to get him going.

“We feed off of each other, and I think that’s what makes us so strong-knit as a group,” Eldridge said of the rookies. “We’re all playing for each other. It’s pretty cool. We had a stretch out in the field the other day, and it was like everyone in that stretch had over two home runs as a River Cat this year. We all love each other. We have pretty special bonds, so it’s very promising.”