Giolito disappointed with results in debut
Lucas Giolito was excited to step right into a pennant race, but disappointed with his first step.
Giolito gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings in the Angels’ 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, his first game after he was acquired in a trade on Wednesday night.
Although the trade was made while the Angels were in Detroit, Giolito went straight to Toronto and met his new teammates the same day he took the mound wearing their uniform for the first time.
“It feels like that playoff atmosphere every single game, which I’m all here for,” Giolito said. “I’m bummed out that I didn’t get the job done today to help the team, but I like what’s happening here. Really, really positive vibes. The clubhouse chemistry. I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
The Angels got Giolito to to bolster their rotation, and in his first game he said he was “not the best.”
“I felt relatively sharp, throwing a lot of strikes, but they hammered my mistakes pretty good,” Giolito said.
Giolito gave solo homers on misplaced fastballs to Matt Chapman in the second inning and Danny Jansen in the third.
He retired eight hitters in a row through the fifth inning, but got into trouble again in the sixth. Although he gave up a pair of hits, the Angels still could have gotten him out of the inning if shortstop Andrew Velazquez had not booted a double play ball.
“He’s going to pitch deep into games for us,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “He’s going to throw a lot of pitches for us. Really excited to have him. We’re gonna win a lot of games with him.”
TORONTO >>
Thursday, the first game of a homestand against the Seattle Mariners.
Newly acquired Lucas Giolito will start twice in between Ohtani starts, taking the ball for the series finale in Atlanta on Wednesday. That would be just four days’ rest for Giolito, which is what he had been doing regularly with the Chicago White Sox. The Angels have their starters throw on at least five days’ rest.
“He is used to throwing on his fifth day,” Nevin said. “Because of that, we have no problem with that. As we go forward, there may be times where we’re going to be able to put him on that day and push somebody back.”
The Angels are undecided who will pitch Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta, Nevin said. Griffin Canning’s normal turn would fall on Monday, but the Angels could give him an extra day and use Chase Silseth, or another spot starter, on Monday. They also could have Canning pitch Monday and the spot start Tuesday.
Since then, López has a 1.75 ERA in 24 games. Opponents have hit .148 against him in that span.
“I just made a little bit of an adjustment on my mechanics and on my fastball and I think that was pretty much it,” López said through an interpreter Friday. “It got me to the point I wanted to be. That’s where I’m at right now.”