Giolito solid, but bats quiet in White Sox's 3-1 loss to Twins
If the White Sox can ever get their pitching and hitting going at the same time, they're going to be tough to beat.
If they can't, well, see Wednesday afternoon's 3-1 loss to the Twins in Minnesota.
Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito was sharp, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings while striking out seven.
The Sox's offense was not, scratching out only 6 hits against Twins starter Sonny Gray and four relievers.
They didn't score until second baseman Lenyn Sosa homered to center field with two outs in the ninth inning.
"The story of the last couple games is we didn't swing the bat, that simple," manager Pedro Grifol told reporters after the White Sox finished a six-game road trip to Pittsburgh and Minnesota with a 2-4 record.
"Our pitching has kind of caught stride with what they can do," Grifol added. "What we need to do now is put it all together for more than one game. And we will. We have to continue to battle with what we got, get our guys healthy, keep them on the field and put it all together."
The Sox are playing without three of their best hitters. Shortstop Tim Anderson (knee) and DH Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) are on the injured list and third baseman Yoan Moncada sat out the Twins series with a sore back.
While Anderson is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, Jimenez and Moncada should be back in the lineup when the White Sox play the Orioles at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend following Thursday's day off.
After scoring 52 runs in their first nine games while giving up 66, the Sox have scored 8 runs in their last four games while giving up 11.
"It's not what we wanted," Giolito said. "But it's the hand we are dealt."
Speaking of hands, the Sox's defense also needs to improve after a sloppy showing against Minnesota.
The White Sox made 4 errors in the first two games of the series and first baseman Andrew Vaughn and right fielder Gavin Sheets weren't able to make defensive plays in the fourth inning Wednesday that hurt Giolito and the White Sox.
"Frustrating in the moment," Giolito said. "But those things happen in this game."
A scary moment also came in the fourth, when Giolito hit Kyle Farmer in the jaw with a fastball. The Twins' backup shortstop was on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the field.
"It's something that obviously, I feel very very bad about," Giolito said. "You never want to hit anyone up there. It will rattle you in the moment, but you have to do what you can to regain focus in the situation."