If Saturday’s performance by Lucas Giolito looked familiar, it’s because it happened just a week ago.
Last Saturday in Kansas City, Giolito was shaky, even though he allowed just three runs in a six-inning effort. A quality start, by definition.
This Saturday, Giolito was shaky again. Shakier, perhaps. This time he surrendered five runs in 5.2 innings, walked three batters, hit three more and wasn’t at all pleased with himself after the White Sox dropped a 5-1 decision to the Detroit Tigers. A quality start it was not, no matter what meaning of the word “quality” you were using.
“It was similar, very similar, in that whereas last outing I was able to make the adjustment later in the game, this outing I was battling myself the entire time. Too many pitches getting away from me,” Giolito said. “Three walks, three hit batters, unacceptable.
“So yeah, it didn’t work out.”
It’s easy to make grand statements with these small sample sizes early on in a 162-game season, but that doesn’t mean anyone should do it with nearly six months of season remaining. Still, Giolito’s undoubtedly been searching for himself in these first two outings of 2018. After a dynamite end to last season and a stellar spring, it seemed like full steam ahead for one of the organization’s most promising young pitchers.
Instead, we’ve gotten a perfect example of how there’s still development to be done at the major league level, of how 2018 will be a learning season for players throughout the minors and here on the South Side as the future of this team continues to grow.
MLB
“Just not commanding much of anything today,” Giolito said. “To be a starting pitcher, I feel like you’ve got to command more than one pitch, and I didn’t really command any today, just kinda battling through it.”
Much like what happened after Giolito’s first start a week ago, manager Rick Renteria talked about the learning process, saying that days like this can be helpful for young players, even if the results aren’t where they want them to be.
“Very similar,” manager Rick Renteria said. “He was trying to find it. He said he came out of the bullpen feeling very good in terms of his delivery. He said he felt like he was a little out of sync on the hill during the ballgame, but he kept working through it.
“You want to get him an opportunity to work through those things and gain experience and knowledge of that and know that even on days like this when he’s probably not feeling his best he’s still grinding and trying to work through and keep you in the ballgame. That’s what we were looking for from him today.”
But obviously as the tough days get strung together, they become struggles. Giolito's not there yet after only two starts in 2018. And he's looking forward to making sure this isn't a trend that goes past two.
“I’m looking forward to my next start in five days,” Giolito said, “and I’m sure I’ll give a better effort.”