It’s been a long time since Lucas Giolito pitched in the majors. He underwent Tommy John surgery a year and a half ago. Now, he’s one step closer to joining the Boston Red Sox next week in Toronto, but he faced some challenges in his latest rehab outing.
The right-handed dealt with a lot of traffic on the bases during the first three innings of his Friday outing. He walked six and allowed three runs in that stretch, but then he retired his last six opponents in order.
«In the last few innings, I went with what felt more comfortable,» said Lucas Giolito to the reporters after his performance in Worcester. «I was trying to hone some mechanical changes that led to higher velocity, but I kind of lost the feel for the strike zone.»
Giolito made an interesting move. He was topping 92 to 94 with his fastball in the first three innings. Then he dropped his velocity, but was able to finish his start in the best way possible.
«I just used my pitches on the zone and get through it», he said. «I felt more powerful early in the game, but release point and timing of everything was a little out of whack. So I was throwing a lot of balls».
Manager Alex Cora told the media earlier this week that Lucas Giolito will join the Red Sox next week in Toronto. He is expected to pitch on Thursday.
«I am excited to get competing», he added. «Getting those good juices flowing in that aspect».
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«He was erratic, obviously,» said WooSox manager Chad Tracy after Friday’s loss to the Syracuse Mets. «But the last two innings were pretty darn good. It was good to see him grinding through the walks and trying to find fastball command.»
