White Sox 2, Indians 0: Lucas Giolito barges into June
Major League Baseball hasn’t yet named its Pitcher of the Month for May, but if Lucas Giolito somehow doesn’t win it, he’s getting a start on June.
Giolito picked up his sixth straight win with 7â…“ dominant innings, and the White Sox have now won seven consecutive games he’s started. They accomplished this one with minimal support from Tim Anderson, who hit a no-doubt solo shot in the fourth, then a two-out RBI double in the eighth that allowed everybody to breathe a bit easier.
But this was Giolito’s day, and he’s having a lot of those. He scattered just four singles and a double, striking out nine without walking a soul. Facing a lineup that’s almost entirely left-handed, he once again stuck to a relatively straightforward approach in terms of arsenal: 53 fastballs, 36 changeups, and just 12 breaking balls.
Yet he got 18 swinging strikes due to a couple more subtle shifts. If I were to phrase it in the form of Three Stars of the Game, I’d rank them:
Third star: Curveball. He threw 11 curves, his most since his third start of the season against the Yankees. It only got one whiff, but it gained him four strikes without a ball in play, and gave hitters a different look later in the game.
Second star: Fastball. He averaged 95 and generated eight whiffs, so he was feeling that.
First star: Changeup. How much confidence did Giolito have in his offspeed pitch? He doubled up on it four times, he tripled up on it three times, and he quadrupled up on it once. He threw eight changeups out of 12 pitches to Carlos Santana, and Santana went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Rick Renteria also pulled him at the right time, coming out with the hook after Giolito lost five-pitch battle to Roberto Perez with one out in the eighth. That brought lefty Leonys Martin to the plate, who took Iván Nova deep for a ringing blast the day before. On deck was Francisco Lindor, who had two of the five Cleveland hits.
Renteria called for Aaron Bummer, and so Terry Francona went with the righty Jordan Luplow for the matchup advantage. It didn’t work, as Luplow grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Lindor ended up getting a third hit, but by the time it happened, Anderson had stretched the Sox’ lead to 2-0, staying back on a 1-2 curveball long enough to line it to left for a double. Lindor doubled off Alex Colomé for only the second hit off the Sox closer in save situations, but thanks in part to a diving catch by Ryan Cordell, Colomé retired the next three hitters in order to preserve the shutout.
Zach Plesac — nephew of Dan — was almost as good as Giolito, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. One of those hits just happened to be a resounding blast by Anderson, who dropped the bat and walked several steps toward first before firing up his trot.
Anderson short-circuited another potential threat by getting picked off, but he came through with the eighth-inning double for the only hit with runners in scoring position all day. The Sox were 1-for-3, and Cleveland went 0-for-5.
Bullet points:
*Leury GarcÃa also did his part in terms of run prevention, covering a lot of ground to make a catch on the warning track in right center, then breaking in nicely on a liner that wasn’t hit all that hard in the eighth. He also drew two walks, which was uncharacteristic.
*This is the first Sox-Indians series that didn’t result in a split this year. The Sox won three out of four, so they’re 7-5 against the Indians after a 6-1 homestand, and the teams are tied for second in the Central again.
Record: 29-30 | Box score | Highlights
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Barge? He’s crashed into June.
Fun, fun game. I love watching precision pitching and solid defense.
This! Â I actually got to watch it and I was explaining to my wife how 1-0 games can sometimes be the most exciting. Â
Jeez, buy in on the youth movement already and try to make something happen. Make Covey and Banuelos co-starters and bring up Cease. Chuck Alonso, Rondon, and Castillo and give Palka another chance and see if Collins can make his plate discipline translate at the major league level and if Mendick is for real. Send Herrera to the IL to try to get him right and call up Frare, Fulmer, Vieira, Foster, or any number of relievers to fill in low-leverage stuff. Make Bummer, Marshall, and Minaya your high leverage guys and give Fry some low leverage stuff to try to right the ship.
Feels like there’s things they can do to push themselves over that .500 hump right now without adding to the payroll if they’d just be willing to move past their recent mistakes.
Agreed, though I’d give Yonder a little more rope. His glove was sweet today, and I liked how he poked one into left. I would temper the number of plate appearances he gets. Some days off are in order.
He’s been well below replacement level and not exactly trending quickly upwards, he’s never been a huge bat outside of a good first half a few years ago, and Palka’s killing it in Charlotte. He needs to be tempered to the waiver wire.
Maybe he deserves another chance, but don’t think Palka’s Charlotte numbers are all that remarkable. Would rather have Alonso for defense alone.
Palka’s been slumping his last 10 games or so.
Exactly. They whiffed on the top free agents, but another way they can show there is a new way of organizational thinking is by fixing fixable problems in a timely manor. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t make the moves you’re suggesting. Acting with a sense of urgency would be a nice change.
I thought Bummer should have gone out for the 9th against those particular hitters. I know Colome has been money, but it seemed too much like push-button managing designed to be able to say, “I did all I could do. I brought in my rested closer in a save situation. It didn’t work out.”
Lindor is much stronger from the left side. Santana has more pop from the left. In small samples, Mercado does a lot better against righties. Bummer has been money, too.
Small quibble on a beautiful day.
Each save ups his trade valueÂ
If the Sox actually have designs on contending next year, I don’t see why they would trade Colome unless the return is absurd. He’s a lights-out closer that you control for another arb year.
I agree. It would have to be a Gleybar Torres level return.
I am going to start watching RR pretty closely, because, in an unanticipated reaction, I am starting to think that he’s handling his bullpen and his roster pretty intelligently.
I have not had this reaction whatsoever.
Yeah, once a narrative is established, it’s difficult to turn around.
Asserting the narrative is wrong without substantiation certainly doesn’t make it easier.
That’s true. Increasingly, however, it isn’t worth my time, particularly given that it would be a complex topic. Today’s bullpen usage was flawless and Cordell was inserted in time to make a very good catch, for example. But I’m not persuaded yet; I’m just beginning to consider the possibility.
“Today’s bullpen usage was flawless.”
Yes, Renteria managed the bullpen through 1.2 innings with his two best relievers, the same as basically any manager would and indeed should. I’m not gonna give him kudos because he managed not to over-manage an easy situation.
1 game is noise. Just this week he hung out 2 starters to dry, as Mr. Nolan alluded to.
The Phil Rogers “2 > 1” method probably has sufficient analytical rigor for this situation.
Sox are overachieving pythag. And even more overachieving underlying stats. Not taking a position either way. But I have read the view that a manager might account for some of that.
It has literally been [1] days since Renteria’s last poorly managed game.
See above.
Yes, managing more than one game without looking clueless sure is a big ask.
At this great game today. Leury’s play behind the great Sox pitching this greatly contributed to this winning effort.
I’m just happy the Sox are interesting again. They are a game back of .500 with the next 7 games against below .500 teams. June gets rough for them after that, but if the can go 5-2 over the next 7 games, then battle to .500 against the good teams the rest of the month, they could still be in the Wild Card race come the All Star game. Pretty great improvement considering how most people thought this season would go.
And they’ve done this carrying a lot of dead weight on the roster. Be nice if they weren’t relying on seven or eight guys to shoulder the entire load.
He hadn’t done that since September 2013.
Giolito now up to a 2.5 fWar.
Trails only Scherzer, Boyd, & Strasburg across all of baseball.
Lucas Giolito is a prime example to why Cease should be called up. At one point Giolito was ready to be ban to a desert island, now he looks like the ace of the staff. So let the learning curve start now, just in case he needs adjustment time. Next bring up Robert, he would improve the outfield defense(Eloy-Robert-Tilson). Move Garcia to second, which would boost your offensives production.
If there is any doubt as to bringing Cease up, then watching Zach Plesac should have answered that. Here is a guy who doesn’t have the talent that Cease has, yet the Indians brought him up after 3 starts at AAA and threw him into two of the toughest spots possible- starting on the road against the World Champs, then playing against his favorite team growing up in their home park. He even said that the game against the White Sox was a tougher start than pitching at Fenway. I would assume that Cease is starting tonight, so that would put him in line to start Saturday against the Royals, then at home against the Yankees. That way Banuelos would not have to start anymore.
The easiest way to improve quickly is to sign Dallas Keuchel. He’s going to sign this week with some team. The Sox have a need, and the money. Just like that, we are in the play off hunt.
“The Sox have a need, and the money”
Good one. Thinking that having a need and money available would actually push the Sox into doing something.
Zach Plesac and I also share an alma mater, so I wish him the best. Just not against the Sox.
Things starting to look up for our boys hope it continues on this road trip against WASH&K.C. I Hope hahn signs dallas soon lucas is the ONLY reliable starter they have&he can help with his veteran leadership.i wanna play armchair G.M for a minute.DFA rondon&possible yonder,bring up robert&palka,put robert in CF, palka DH,move leury to 2B,yolmer goes to the bench where he belongs,send down maybe fry,bring up cease,put manny in long relief role probably when covey/nova starts,BOOM But i know its easier said than done Not sure how long the sox will last but right now im enjoying the ride its much smoother than last year at this this time GO SOX!!!