One of the big problems the Red Sox have had over the past two seasons is consistency when it comes to starting pitching roles. Last offseason, they signed Lucas Giolito to be the ace on a two-year deal. Giolito hurt his elbow, had surgery and missed the entire season, though.
This year, the Red Sox landed Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox, as he was set to be the ace. He has lived up to that role admirably, but the problem has been what’s happened behind him–injuries and wildly inconsistent performances left Boston with an ace and then a crapshoot after him.
Until the past month, at least. Over the last five starts, it certainly looks like the guy who was supposed to be the 2024 ace is ready to step in and be the 2025 No. 2 behind Crochet. Giolito continued his hot hand on Friday afternoon in Washington, where he beat the Nationals with one earned run in 7.2 innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and three walks.
Red Sox Have Their No. 2 Starter?
With the win, Giolito runs his overall record to 5-1 with a 3.66 ERA. Since a disastrous effort on June 4 (seven earned runs, 1.2 innings), Giolito has gone 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA, allowing 20 hits and 10 walks in 32.2 innings, with 31 strikeouts.
Said Giolito after the win: “I just like the recipe we have right now. Throwing to Narvi (Carlos Narváez) has been fantastic. Game-planning is really good. Just staying with that and trusting it.”
Giolito has also done just what a top No. 2 option should do lately–go deep into his starts. He has pitched through the sixth inning eight times this season, and five times in a row.
“It was good. I like going deep into the game,” Giolito said. “It’s important for us to do that. Alleviate the bullpen a little bit … continuing to make good progress and staying consistent. That’s been my goal pretty much my whole career. Too much lack of consistency. So it’s good to be in that spot. I just want to keep it going.”
Lucas Giolito: ‘It’s Been a Long Road’
There was some extra meaning in the game, too, for Giolito. He made his debut back in 2016 for the Nationals, and given all he has been through with the surgery last year, it was a nice full-circle moment on Friday.
“It’s been a long road,” Giolito said, via MLB.com. “I pitched very different back then, very long arm action. I think [in] every baseball player’s career, you have your ups and downs. Even the downs, when you come back from those, it’s probably more satisfying than just being good all the time. I just look forward to continuing to work and for us to really get hot and start winning a lot more games.”
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