Lucas Giolito allowed seven runs against the Los Angeles Angels on June 6. After that outing, he approached his pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, in New York and told him that he needed to figure out a way to pitch better.
It was a turning point in the right-hander’s season, which has been completely different over the past month. The veteran pitcher recorded his fourth consecutive outing of 6.0+ innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
«A game like this is just fun because we get that early lead,» said Giolito after the 15-1 win on Saturday. «The offense was so locked in. So just kind of allowed me to relax. [Carlos Narváez] did his thing behind home plate, incredible pitch calling, and we just got to work.»
Lucas Giolito allowed no earned runs, six hits, one walk, and struck out six over 7.0 innings in his performance against the Blue Jays.
«I feel good and confident,» he added. «A lot of credit to the pitching staff, coaches, analytics, biomechanics people — being able to kind of pinpoint what the issue was. Then we made the correction. It’s a good spot to be in.»
The veteran pitcher has allowed only three runs — two earned — since his start against the Angels on June 6. He also has 25 strikeouts over his last 25 innings pitched.
«We can use this game to build momentum,» Giolito added. «Win the series tomorrow, and then get back in the race.»
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«Velocity has been consistent,» said manager Alex Cora regarding Lucas Giolito on Saturday. «He pitched well against them in Toronto. He was able to get that fastball up in the zone and mixed it down with the changeup and the slider. It was on top of hitters.»
Photo: MLB.com
