THINGS HAVE LIGHTENED UP FOR GIOLITO
MESA, Ariz. — Lucas Giolito’s six strikeouts against the Cubs on Friday highlighted a three-inning outing that left the White Sox right-hander feeling good about his stuff, the weight he lost in the offseason and the pitch clock.
“Mixing in all my pitches. Executing good sequences. Trying to work ahead in the count, which we did most of the time,” said Giolito, who walked two batters and allowed three hits while allowing one unearned run in his second Cactus League start at Sloan Park.
After ending a three-year streak of ERAs below 3.60 with a 4.90 last season, Giolito is bent on a bounceback season. He dropped about 25 pounds in recent months after intentionally beefing up to 280 last offseason and likes that he’s feeling more athletic.
“I definitely feel looser,” he said. “I feel freer, have the ability to make adjustments quicker, realize when there is something that is getting a little off, rein it back in and make that good physical adjustment so I can get back in the strike zone.”
Giolito was an instant fan of the pitch clock during his first start. Those convictions were confirmed against the Cubs. The clock helps him get into good rhythms.
“Less time to think,” he said. “Get the ball and go. Hear the sign, agree to it, and you don’t have much time. Fire that thing and do it over again ’til you’re out of the inning. Yeah, I really like it.”
Where he belongs
Andrew Vaughn is getting reacquainted with first base, his lifelong position, after a hiatus in the outfield, where he was forced to play last season. The spot at first opened when Jose Abreu left to join the Astros as a free agent.
“It’s been good just getting back into my routine and getting on that ground-ball schedule, taking as many as I can,” Vaughn said. “Just getting the footwork back, working with [infield coach] Eddie [Rodriguez], and it’s all coming back to me.”
Vaughn got his uniform dirty Friday, stabbing a liner to his left to take a hit away from former Sox teammate Nick Madrigal. There was an exchange between the two afterward.
“Oh, of course there was,” Vaughn said. “Not going to say what I said to him, but [it was] along the lines of, ‘I got ya.’ ”
No Opening Day starter — yet
Manager Pedro Grifol said he would wait until after the World Baseball Classic to name his starter for March 30 in Houston. Right-hander Lance Lynn, who starts for
Team USA against Canada in pool play Monday, is pitching in the WBC.
The way starters are lining up in the Cactus League, it stands to reason that Dylan Cease would be the Opening Day starter, followed by Lynn, Giolito and Mike Clevinger in the opening series against the Astros. Michael Kopech is lined up to start in the homeopening series against the Giants after that.
“Make sure that everybody’s healthy, everybody gets back healthy,” Grifol said.
SAMPLE OF Cubs-Sox
Grifol experienced his first taste of the crosstown rivalry Friday.
“I’m sure it increases tenfold during the season,” he said.
The Sox host the Cubs on July 25 and 26 and play at Wrigley Field on Aug. 15 and 16. ✶