Giolito flirts with no-hitter in Chicago White Sox's 6-3 win over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Lucas Giolito is no longer going to be known as the guy who had the highest ERA (6.13) and second-most walks (90) in baseball last year.

He's going to be known as the guy who nearly pitched the first no-hitter in the majors this season.

"It feels good to start off on a good note," Giolito said after the White Sox defeated the Royals 6-3 on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. "Throughout my whole career, I've always had not as good starts earlier in the year, and I wanted to change that this year and start off on a good note. So it feels good."

Wasting no time putting an erratic 2018 behind him, Giolito held the Royals without a hit until Alex Gordon singled sharply to center field with one out in the seventh inning.

Giolito walked Kansas City leadoff man Whit Merrifield on four pitches in the first inning and then retired 19 in a row before Gordon ended the no-hit bid.

After striking out the Royals' next hitter, Jorge Soler, Giolito gave up an RBI double to Ryan O'Hearn. Lucas Duda followed with a run-scoring single, and the 24-year-old righty's day was done.

"He had all four pitches going," Sox catcher James McCann said. "I felt comfortable calling any pitch at any time. That's the sign of a guy who is on his game, and he was on his game."

Giolito had similar praise for McCann, who is in his first season with the White Sox.

"Mac was unreal back there," Giolito said. "He's a very, very good catcher. I've only thrown to him once or twice, a bullpen in spring training. Now that we're in the thick of it in the games, it's really nice to be able to throw to him.

"Just the sequencing, I didn't have to think at all. I was out there just executing pitches and it ended up being a good one."

While helping the White Sox avoid a three-game sweep to open the season, Giolito pitched 6⅔ innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk. Bolstered by a rising fastball and effective changeup, curveball and slider, he also had 8 strikeouts.

Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso hit back-to-back solo home runs off K.C. starter Jorge Lopez to give the Sox the lead in the fourth inning.

Back-to-back walks by Alonso and Eloy Jimenez made it 4-0 in the sixth, and Yoan Moncada and Alonso added RBI singles in the seventh.

Frustrated by his performance last season, Giolito got his body in better pitching shape and strengthened his mind with a neurofeedback program over the winter.

He also shortened his arm swing to gain better command. It showed Sunday.

"It's just easier to be on time," Giolito said. "With the arm action shorter, it feels better. I don't feel like my arm's dragging as much and maybe if I'm leaning forward or something's mechanically off, I'm still able to kind of get into that firing position and hopefully execute a good pitch, make the misses smaller. It feels really good."

Even though he pitched poorly (0-1, 8.84 ERA) in spring training, Giolito was brimming with confidence heading into Sunday's season debut.

"In spring, it was just feeling out pitch sequencing, what works, what doesn't work, because my stuff is moving a little bit different than it did in previous years," Giolito said. "The last two, three years, I kind of had to figure out ways to get guys out when my stuff was flat or I didn't have my pitches working.

"Now, I feel like I have confidence throwing every pitch every time I go out there."

Giolito threw a no-hitter at Class AAA Charlotte in 2017 and a no-hitter in high school. Both were 7-innings games.

"I'm still on the hunt," Giolito said of a 9-inning no-hitter. "Hopefully I'll get one at some point in my career."