Giolito too much for Tigers
Fourteen months after his major league debut, Lucas Giolito finally earned his first victory.
He threw seven scoreless innings to reach the milestone, and Matt Davidson hit a three-run homer to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Sunday.
“It’s a huge relief. Last year didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” said Giolito, who went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in six appearances last season with Washington.
“Now I get the opportunity back up here again, I just want to take that opportunity and do everything I can to take advantage of it.”
Giolito (1-1) limited the Tigers to three hits in his second start with the White Sox after they acquired him in a December trade with the Nationals for outfielder Adam Eaton. The right-hander had never pitched past the sixth in five previous major league starts.
“We did a good job of filling up the strike zone with honestly all four of my pitches,” Giolito said.
Yolmer Sanchez had three hits for the White Sox, who have won four of five and took two of three from Detroit.
Ian Kinsler hit his 14th home run for the Tigers, who lost for the 16th time in 21 games.
Matthew Boyd (5-8) allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings.
He was 0-2 with a 10.19 ERA in five previous appearances this month and made some mechanical adjustments before Sunday’s start. Boyd has given up 16 earned runs in 20 innings against Chicago this season.
“It wasn’t perfect, but I liked what I saw,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “The simplification of his delivery will work well moving forward.”
Giolito struck out four to match his career high and recorded his first quality start.
“He wasn’t one of these young pitchers that comes up throwing 95 to 97 m.p.h.,” Ausmus said.
“He hit 92, 93, but he pitched. He did a nice job.”
Davidson hit his 23rd homer this season and his first since July 31 after missing three weeks with a right wrist contusion. The threerun shot put the White Sox ahead 5-0 in the third.
“Good thing the pain’s gone,” Davidson said.
Jose Iglesias’ fly ball down the left-field line was initially called a grand slam in the seventh before the umpires conferred and ruled it foul without a review or argument from the Tigers. Iglesias grounded out to leave the bases loaded.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: DH Nick Castellanos (sprained left wrist) returned to the lineup after missing two games . ... LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) is 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in three rehab outings with Triple-A Toledo. Ausmus said Norris may make another rehab start. ... RHP Anibal Sanchez (left hamstring strain) was eligible to come off the DL Sunday and expected to throw a bullpen session. The team will determine if he needs a rehab assignment.
UP NEXT
Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (7-11, 6.11) is set to start the opener of a three-game series at Colorado on Monday.