KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Night owl that he is, Lucas Giolito did not mind a two-hour rain delay Tuesday.
“I was right at home,” Giolito said.
In leading the White Sox to a 4-2 win over the Royals, Giolito (2-2) lowered his ERA to 3.59, striking out nine batters and getting 18 swinging strikes. He walked two and allowed five hits, and for the sixth time in eight starts allowed two earned runs or fewer.
Giolito also touched 96.1 mph with his fastball, a number he hasn’t registered since 2021.
Where did that come from?
“I was a little angry after allowing that home run,” he said of Vinnie Pasquantino’s homer in the first that put the Sox in a 1-0 hole.
“He’s been ticking up little by little all year,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “When he went out there in that first inning, he threw a couple fastballs and it looked like he was at a different level today. Every time his velocity is up like that and he can pitch up in the zone, it just makes everything else really good.”
“One of those nights where the stuff was a little bit better velocity-wise,” Giolito said. “I’m really trying to take advantage of that, just trying to stick heaters at the top of the zone.”
Giolito has been the Sox’ most consistent starter. Since allowing seven runs on 12 hits in four innings on April 7 at Pittsburgh, Giolito has pitched to a 2.33 ERA in his last six starts.
“It’s a good outing though, six [innings] and two [runs], give us a good chance to win,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about as a starter.”
Giolito gave up a bloop single to Pasquantino after Bobby Witt Jr. led off the sixth with a triple. In a 30-pitch inning, he finished his night retiring Hunter Dozier and Freddy Fermin with the bases loaded.
Luis Robert and Andrew Vaughn homered, and catcher Seby Zavala drove in the fourth run with an RBI single in the seventh, scoring Hanser Alberto who had doubled.
Jordan Lyles pitched a complete game but fell to 0-6. Lyles is the first Royal to suffer a loss in a complete game since Brad Keller on July 1, 2018 at Seattle (eight innings), and the first to do it in nine innings since James Shields on April 13, 2013 vs. Toronto.
Giolito is 10-5 lifetime against the Royals, his most wins against any opponent — including a 6-1 record and 2.82 ERA in Kansas City.
