SAN FRANCISCO — If you just went by the company he’s keeping, Carson Whisenhunt‘s third start of the 2026 MLB season for the Giants was a massive success. Whisenhunt got 15 whiffs with his signature changeup on Sunday, the second-most in a game this year behind All-Star Game starter Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies. The only two pitchers who regularly even get to a dozen are Sanchez and a man named Tarik Skubal. In the second inning, he struck out the side on 10 pitches, becoming the first Giants rookie to do that since Tim Lincecum in 2007.
Then the fourth inning came, and Whisenhunt twice turned to watch rockets land over the center-field wall.
The final line in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels was modest — four earned over five innings with seven strikeouts — with some real highs and also some pitches he would like back. But for the first time, the next step will come in the big leagues. After making two cameo appearances with the Giants earlier this year, Whisenhunt will start again in five days.
That was always the plan, anyway. Before the game, manager Tony Vitello said “the...