Short outing, long night for Giolito
Right- hander Lucas Giolito failed in his quest for consistency Tuesday in an uneven four- inning outing against the Pirates that required 98 pitches.
Staked to a four- run lead in the first inning, Giolito couldn’t hold it, and the White Sox ( 9- 24) went on to suffer a 10- 6 loss, their fourth consecutive defeat and eighth in the last nine games.
The trouble spot for Giolito, who was coming off consecutive good starts, was the second inning. After the Sox worked over Pirates right- hander Ivan Nova through a 51- pitch, four- run first inning, Giolito struggled with his command and handed the four runs back in the second.
“That they gave me four runs in the first inning, and I went out and gave up four is unacceptable,’’ Giolito said. “To throw that many pitches in that few innings, it’s just not getting the job done as a starting pitcher.’’
Giolito said he was “flying open” in his delivery, which has been a bugaboo. He worked through two scoreless innings after the second and was leading 5- 4 on
Jose Abreu’s RBI double in the second, but his high pitch count left manager Rick Renteria little choice but to turn the game over to his bullpen. Chris Volstad ( 0- 2) was tagged for three runs in the fifth inning, and the Pirates tacked on two more in the sixth against left- hander Luis Avilan. Welington Castillo homered twice for the Sox, who are 3- 14 at Guaranteed Rate Field, the worst home record in baseball. The last time the Sox started 9- 24 or worse was 1948, when they were 8- 25.
Giolito ( 7.25 ERA), who entered the season on a high note coming off a 2.38 ERA in seven starts in 2017 and an excellent spring, allowed seven hits and two walks. He hit a batter and struck out three.
Farquhar visits Sox’ clubhouse
Danny Farquhar continues to take important steps in his recovery from a brain hemorrhage. Farquhar, who was released Monday from Rush University Medical Center, was a welcome visitor in the clubhouse before the game.
“Not many people can make it through that surgery,’’ Sox righthander Miguel Gonzalez said. “And just to have him around here . . . hewas loving life just being around the guys.”
Gonzalez said Farquhar, who was accompanied by his wife,
Lexie, was in excellent spirits. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to come and play baseball again,” Gonzalez said.
Farquhar, a 31- year- old righthander, suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm during a home game April 20 against the Astros. “He looks amazing,’’ right- hander
James Shields said. “To go through what he did and to see him look how he does was an amazing feeling for us in the clubhouse, and I’m sure it was for him.’’
Aches and pains
Second baseman Yoan Moncada, who went on the disabled list Saturday, will run to test his hamstring Wednesday. He hopes to return next Tuesday, when the Sox play at Pittsburgh.
“They’re doing everything just tomake sure that we minimize any aspect that might reoccur,’’ Renteria said.
Gonzalez ( inflammation of the right rotator cuff) threw live batting practice, getting up and down three times. A minor- league rehab outing is possible.
“We’ll see how he feels [ Wednesday], then we can make a determination as to what we will or will not do or how we’ll progress,’’ Renteria said.
Outfielder Avisail Garcia ( hamstring strain) has been taking batting practice and was in the box against Gonzalez.