MINNEAPOLIS — Lucas Giolito pitched in his first All-Star Game two years ago, and he had some very important for advice for Carlos Rodon, who is going to his first one next week.
“The day before, don’t sleep in too much because you’ll miss the gifting station,” Giolito told Rodon Monday. “Companies set up booths and give out free stuff — clothing, merchandise. You get free stuff.”
Free stuff, yes!
“I remember my wife being really pissed at me because I slept in and missed most of it,” Giolito told the Sun-Times. “I said, ‘Don’t do that, Carlos. You don’t want Ashley to get upset.’ ’’
The Sox’ Opening Day starter on a staff “of five aces” as he puts it, Giolito is not having an All-Star season in 2021.
“I’m looking forward to being in more,” he said. “I know it didn’t work out this year.”
After finishing in the top six in Cy Young voting in each of the last two seasons, Giolito will take a 6-6 record and 4.20 ERA into his final start before the All-Star break when he faces the Orioles on Saturday.
“More often than not I’m giving my team a chance to win,” Giolito said. “But my body of work is not up to my standards. I didn’t give us a chance in the Fenway game (one-plus innings, eight runs) and Sunday (six runs on 10 hits at Detroit). We have a very good team, we’re in first place and I’m happy to contribute. I just want to tighten up things and get back to doing what I can do.”
Spin rates are down all over, and a light has been shined on Giolito’s lower rates since the Josh Donaldson homer against him. Donaldson yelled “it’s not sticky anymore” after crossing the plate, Giolito took issue after the game and Donaldson went on a lengthy rant, calling Giolito out confronting the Sox pitcher in the parking lot after the game.
“The parking lot confrontation, there was a conversation where he’s telling his side and I heard him out considering I had aired him out in the media,” Giolito said. “Thought I’d hear his side of things and call it a day. That’s it.”
Giolito says say what you want about his spin rates, his stuff is still good. He points to the 22 swings and misses by the Tigers Sunday.
“I’ve got no issues with my stuff. I’ll make that very clear,” he said. “I had a lot of swings and misses. Didn’t make good pitches on some situations. But you’re going to see that around the league, adjusting to a new normal. But for me personally, I’m not having any issues.
“It is what it is. The league decided it was an important thing to take care of. OK. I’d love to see the baseball addressed. A good, consistent baseball will take care of a lot of this other noise.”
The bigger issue for Giolito on Sunday, said, was not finding rhythm and temp. He had pitched to a 2.94 ERA over eight starts before Sunday’s, including six innings of three-run ball in the Donaldson game and two runs over six innings at Pittsburgh in his start before that.
An infield single to start the Tigers game and a jam shot single “let frustration set in,” he said, “instead of trusting my rhythm and how good my stuff was and letting it fly.”
“In fourth inning I let it fly, struck out the side, and hit a groove,” he said. “ I didn’t think about sequencing. Just throw it. That’s what I do.”
“Lucas is one of those guys that feels responsibility, trying so hard, and those are the guys you admire the most,” manager Tony La Russa said. “They want to be the horse and they feel that responsibility, and sometimes they’re unfair to themselves. Just be yourself, do the best you can.”
