White Sox: Lucas Giolito Excels in Rain-Shortened Win Over Blue Jays
White Sox starting pitcher has a complete game in a rain-shortened victory over Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon.
The Chicago White Sox got back on a winning note on Saturday afternoon in a 4-1 rain-shortened victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Lucas Giolito was able to pitch a complete game of just five innings and continued the impressive run he’s been on recently.
With the win, the Sox once again are two games under .500 with a 21-23 record. Giolito’s performance was great despite the short outing. After the top of the fifth inning with the Sox leading 4-1, the game was stopped due to heavy rainfall. It would later be called an official game as the weather reports didn’t offer too much hope for an uninterrupted game.
After being blown out on Friday night by the Blue Jays 10-2, the Sox got a much-needed solid outing from Giolito. The pitcher who had the worst starter’s ERA in MLB last season has turned into the best starting pitcher for the Sox in 2019. On Saturday, he pitched five innings while allowing just one earned run on three hits.
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Giolito recorded four strikeouts against the Blue Jays while allowing just two walks. With the win, Giolito improved his record to 5-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to a team-leading 3.35 for starting pitchers. Giolito not only has been the best Sox starting pitcher this season, but he could also make a case for being the team’s most improved player.
However, he might have to compete against Yoan Moncada or Tim Anderson for being the Sox most improved player this season. Giolito’s performance on Saturday was just another solid outing for the 24-year-old pitcher. In his last four starts, Giolito hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any outing. The most runs he’s allowed in one start during this stretch was three earned runs against the Boston Red Sox on May 2.
The Sox need more good outings from Giolito as the starting rotation has been a major weakness for the team this season. On Saturday, Giolito was able to get run support early and often. This certainly helped him to keep the Blue Jays from jumping out to a big lead as they did on Friday night against Ivan Nova.
Leury Garcia started the scoring for the Sox on Saturday with a solo home run in the first inning. The Sox would later go back on top when Yonder Alonso singled to score Moncada in the second inning to make it a 2-1 lead over Toronto. After four innings, the Sox lead 4-1 and Giolito closed out the top of the fifth inning with a steady downpour of rain that sealed the win for the home team.
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On Sunday, the Sox will look to win their four-game series over the Blue Jays. Reynaldo Lopez will start for the Sox as they conclude their six-game homestand.