Chicago White Sox's Giolito takes walk on wild side
Last season, Lucas Giolito made a May start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
"I was all over the place," he said. "I ended up winning the game, but I had 7 walks. I'd say I was effectively wild that day. That was definitely a little different then how I pitch now."
Even with Giolito issuing the 7 walks over 5⅔ innings at Wrigley, he was able to work out of major trouble and the Chicago White Sox came away with a 5-3 win.
This season, Giolito has usually been on cruise control.
The Sox's emerging ace shortened up his arm swing and has been pounding the strike zone and piling up wins.
In Saturday night's 6-3 interleague loss to the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field, Giolito reverted to his 2018 form. This time, he was wild against the Cubs but far from effective.
"I'm very frustrated with this game, clearly," Giolito (11-3) said. "The loss is on me. It's all on me. It was one inning where I got out of sync and couldn't correct it. They took advantage. I walked three and a little basehit over third baseman's head. That's it."
With the game tied at 1-1 in front of a capacity crowd of 38,634, Giolito opened the fifth inning with 3 straight walks. Kyle Schwarber followed with a bloop double to score a pair of runs.
Another 2-run double by Javier Baez ended Giolito's night.
"I felt good," Giolito said. "Got out of sync and I didn't correct it. That's what happened. I'll have to look at it. Most likely flying open on the front side.
"My slider got away from me. I didn't throw any quality sliders that inning. Just got out of sync and I didn't make a correction at all."
Giolito will pitch in his first All-Star Game on Tuesday, but he didn't have a very good tuneup Saturday while allowing 6 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks over 4 innings.
"Usually when you try harder, it makes it worse," Giolito said. "I probably did that. Yeah, I don't know. I don't have a great explanation right now. I'm going to have to look at it."
Trailing 6-1, the Sox scored a pair of runs in the seventh inning to make it close, and Jose Abreu came to the plate with two on and two out in the ninth.
Abreu took a big swing for strike three, but closer Craig Kimbrel's pitch got past catcher Willson Contreras. Had he recognized the pitch went to the backstop, Abreu might have been safe at first base.
"I was looking for a fastball and he threw me the breaking ball," Abreu said through a translator. "I was out of balance and I didn't identify where the ball was right away."
Giolito also struggled against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in June, lasting just 4⅓ innings and giving up 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. In 2 starts against the Cubs this season, Giolito has a 12.97 ERA. His ERA against everyone else is 2.26.