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 of the season. Bryce Eldridge hit his 12th home run. 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 that quartet of rookies, the Giants beat the Houston Astros 4-1 at Oracle Park.
Along with the rookies, a pair of sophomores also made an impact. Christian Koss drove in a run of his own, while right-hander Carson Seymour pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
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.
Whisenhunt worked past early command issues to turn in a solid start, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks.
The left-hander looked in for a very short night after needing 55 pitches to complete his first two innings, but he was incredibly efficient in 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 fell just short of completing six innings for the first time in his career, walking a batter with two outs in the sixth, but Seymour completed the frame with a strikeout.