White Sox pitcher had another rough outing on Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers. How long can team remain patient with the former top prospect?
Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito hasn’t consistently replicated his success from his brief seven-start stint with the team last season. This season, Giolito has struggled with consistency and his struggles continued on Saturday afternoon.
Pitching against the Detroit Tigers, Giolito gave up two home runs to Nick Castellanos in a 7-5 loss for the White Sox. Giolito for the second consecutive game had trouble with issuing a walk with two outs. In each game, the walked batter would later score.
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On Saturday, Giolito would issue two walks separately with two outs in an inning that ultimately doomed him. In the third inning, Giolito issued a two-out walk to Leonys Martin. He would then give up a single to Jeimer Candelario. With two runners on base, Giolito gave up a three-run home run hit to right field by Castellanos to put Detroit ahead 3-0.
Giolito’s inability to retire the side in the third inning cost him and the White Sox. It would cost Giolito again later in the fifth inning. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, Giolito issued a walk to Candelario. Castellanos would later hit his second home run of the game to extend the Tigers lead to 5-0.
The White Sox staged a comeback to tie the game but fell as their bullpen couldn’t keep the contest tied. Despite the comeback from the Sox offense, the loss was overshadowed by Giolito giving up two home runs to Castellanos. Giolito has struggled heavily with issuing walks this season.
Currently, Giolito has issued 45 walks this season and has only recorded 40 strikeouts. This won’t bode well for Giolito’s future if he can’t limit his walks. On Saturday however, he only issued two walks, but they both led to each batter later scoring with two outs. Giolito has given up a career-high 11 home runs this season and could see that number double as the season progresses.
With the Sox demoting Carson Fulmer to Triple-A after he struggled to begin the season, when will their patience run out with Giolito? Giolito has the worst starter’s ERA in MLB of any qualified starter. After his start on Saturday, his record on the season stands at 4-7 with a 7.19 ERA through 14 starts.
The Sox have shown some patience with Giolito, but he could need a stint in the minors if he continues to struggle. Last season, Giolito had trouble with consistency pitching for Triple-A Charlotte. He was able to turn his season around in the second half of the season before being promoted to the Sox.
Next: White Sox Lose Tough Game to Tigers
Giolito has shown he can pitch well in the Majors. At times this season, he’s had a solid outing for the Sox. Giolito has five quality starts this season and in six outings has only issued two walks. However, he needs more consistency to have success at this level. The Sox patience with him could end sooner rather than later if Giolito continues to struggle.