White Sox: Home Runs Plague Lucas Giolito in South Side Debut

Home runs plagued Lucas Giolito in his first start with the White Sox. The right-hander allowed three long balls that accounted for four runs.

Lucas Giolito looked strong during his first three innings on Tuesday. Then the wheels fell off for the Chicago White Sox seventh ranked prospect. Giolito would give up home runs in the next three innings, accounting for all four of the Minnesota Twins runs. Meanwhile, the offense was only able to muster one run against Minnesota pitching en route to a 4-1 loss at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It definitely wasn’t the debut Giolito was hoping for. With much hype surrounding his debut with the White Sox, the 23-year-old looked sharp at times, but just gave up too many home runs. That ended up being the difference maker. He allowed four runs on six hits in six innings of work while striking out four and did not walk a single batter.

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By all accounts that’s not a very bad line for a pitcher. Especially one making his debut for the club. This wasn’t his major league debut, he actually made four starts for the Washington Nationals last season. But it was the first start with his new club. And he definitely showed flashes and  showed he still has some things to work on. The big thing is he definitely wants to cut down on home runs.

This start, while not his best, gave us a peak of what we could see from Giolito in the future. It’s only one start and he really didn’t pitch all that bad. If he doesn’t give up the two-run home run to Eddie Rosario in the bottom of the sixth, then we’re talking a 2-1 ballgame. That has a whole different ring to it.

Next: Michael Kopech Makes Triple-A Debut

Giolito did a lot of good things in his first start.  He didn’t allow a walk, which is a huge plus. That means his control was good. He just has to avoid making that mistake pitch. Major league hitters will make him pay for it every time. He just needs some time to settle in and get more comfortable pitching to major league hitters.  There’s no reason he can’t be a key contributor to this White Sox team. He just needs some more experience. Once he gets that he’ll be in good shape.