Lucas Giolito walked MJ Melendez to load the bases for the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning Tuesday.
There was one out and the Chicago White Sox were clinging to a one-run lead.
Giolito fell behind in the count 2-0 to the next batter Hunter Dozier. The training staff checked on Giolito for a callus, but he got the OK to continue and rebounded to get Dozier to popout to shortstop Elvis Andrus on the next pitch.
Giolito escaped the jam, getting Freddy Fermin to bounce into a fielder’s choice.
“Two walks, 2-0 to (Dozier) with the bases loaded, really, just trying to trust myself to execute a fastball at the top of the zone,” Giolito said. “Got the popout.
“From there, really get that focus on each individual pitch, execute this pitch. Whether I did or didn’t, forget about it. Move on to the next one. It’s so huge in those moments.”
The Sox added an insurance run in the next inning on a Seby Zavala RBI single and held on for a 4-2 victory in front of 11,258 on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.
Giolito allowed two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in six innings, pitching strong after a two-hour rain delay.
“I think it was a bonus for me pitching at nine at night because I’m a night owl, so I was right at home,” Giolito joked. “One of those nights where the stuff was a little bit better velocity-wise. I’m really trying to take advantage of that, just trying to stick heaters at the top of the zone.
“It’s a good outing though, six (innings) and two (runs), give us a good chance to win. That’s what it’s all about as a starter. Seby was great back there as usual. Able to get a nice ‘W’ and hopefully continue that (Wednesday).”
Giolito settled in after allowing a solo homer to Vinnie Pasquantino in the first.
“Got a little angry after the first inning giving up that home run,” he said. “For me, pitching angry, it can go one way or the other and (Tuesday) we were able to channel that into aggression in the strike zone, try to work ahead of guys and just fire it in there.”
Luis Robert Jr. tied the game with a homer in the fourth. Andrew Vaughn put the Sox ahead with a two-run homer in the sixth.
“When there’s guys on base in that situation, guy on third and less than two, I’m just trying to drive the ball,” Vaughn said. “It’s my job to get that guy in, so trying to put a good swing on it and it worked out.”
Giolito put the Sox in position to win, working out of trouble in the fifth and sixth.
The first two Royals reached in fifth on singles. Giolito struck out the next three batters.
“It was one of those times you’ve just got to do it,” he said. “Make pitches, execute and we were able to do that to three consecutive batters to get out of that inning.”
The execution continued the next inning to get out of the bases-loaded situation. Joe Kelly, Reynaldo López and Kendall Graveman followed with perfect innings to secure the win for Giolito, who improved to 2-2 while lowering his ERA to 3.59.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, if you throw six, seven innings, you’re going to go through crisis at least once, unless you’re throwing a no-hitter or a one- or two-hitter,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Starting pitchers are going to go through crisis. The fact that his stuff ticked up (Tuesday) and he was pitching at the top of the zone really effective, made his changeup really good.
“He’s been our horse, man. I think he’s gone six or more innings now, six straight outings. He’s good. He’s really good right now and it’s a credit to him because he’s worked his butt off.”
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