Giolito to miss at least 2 starts
DETROIT — White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito likely will miss at least two starts with a strained left hamstring that landed him on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Giolito (2-1, 5.30 ERA) suffered the injury, which he called a Grade I strain, in the third inning Wednesday of a start in which he was breezing against the Royals.
“It was a little freak thing,” Giolito said Thursday. “Just make sure I get my hamstring nice and strong, nice and loose, and I’ll be good to go.”
Righty Carson Fulmer, who took the loss in relief in the Tigers’ 9-7 victory Thursday, was recalled from Class AAA Charlotte along with outfielder Ryan Cordell.
Lefty Manny Banuelos, who started during spring training and has been used in multipleinnings relief work since, could take Giolito’s starts. Dylan Covey or another option from Charlotte — but not Dylan Cease, it’s too early — are other possibilities.
“It’s still yet to be determined, but we obviously have some options in house right now,” manager Rick Renteria said.
“We have stretched [Banuelos] out. He’s still available to us [Thursday] and possibly [Friday], and we’ll see how we manage the rest of it in terms of making a decision.”
Cordell: Instant offense
Cordell, recalled after Daniel Palka was optioned to Charlotte on Wednesday, went 3-for-4 with his second homer. He’s a much better defensive option than Palka, and he was batting .323 with three doubles, one homer and one triple in seven games with Charlotte. He made his first Opening Day roster with the Sox and went 2-for-6 with a homer and three RBI over five games before being optioned to Charlotte on April 7.
Renteria said he plans to give Cordell, who bats right, a lot of playing time in right field and center field against right- and lefthanded pitchers.
Not good
Fulmer entered in the eighth inning of a tie game and gave up a soft single, then hit JaCoby Jones and Josh Harrison to load the bases. Sacrifice flies by Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera pinned the loss on the 2015 first-round pick.
Fulmer, 25, who has struggled at the big-league level, was pitching well at Charlotte with a 1.29 ERA and 11 strikeouts in three relief appearances covering 11 innings.
Three-loy
Eloy Jimenez hit an opposite-field homer into the wind against Tigers starter Tyson Ross. Jimenez said he was too pull-happy the first two weeks.
“I feel very good,” Jimenez said. “I’m seeing the ball well.
“I was just trying to hit the ball to the left side. It’s not me. Now I’m getting better and getting my confidence back.”
In left, Jimenez was somewhat slow getting to a couple of balls hit into the corner. Part of that is a rookie getting to know the caroms at various parks. On one, a double by Castellanos, Jones scored from first.
“This field is big,” he said of Comerica Park. “Now I know. I’m going to do a better job with getting the ball and throwing it as quickly as I can if they are going to keep running.”
All or nothing
Welington Castillo, batting .171, has two two-run, eighthinning homers in four days, the first a game-winning oppositefield blast against the Royals and the second a poke to left to tie the Tigers.