MINNEAPOLIS — Lucas Giolito spoke for himself, but he could have been speaking for many of his White Sox teammates.
“I could never have predicted I would have struggled this bad,” Giolito said of his disappointing 2022 season. “Considering how much confidence I had and how good I felt coming into the season, it was a wakeup call that it can be a cruel game.”
Cruel? The Sox looked at a soft American League Central during the spring and assumed they would win it, simply because they won it last season. Fans bought up tickets and Sox gear believing they would, too. Oddsmakers made the Sox prohibitive favorites to win it and listed them among the top World Series contenders.
After 4-3 victory against the host Twins Thursday afternoon that halted an eight-game losing streak at, the Sox own a 77-79 record with six games left. They are playing out the string and making plans to return to their respective homes next week.
Giolito will have one more start against the Twins at home next week following his five innings of two-run ball Thursday. He struck out six and walked three, lowering his ERA to a blocky 5.00, a number he never saw coming as the team’s Opening Day starter with ERAs of 3.48 and 3.53 the previous two seasons.
“So a lot to learn from this year,” Giolito said. “A lot of us can say that.”
Giolito said it’s on him and teammates to “make the necessary adjustments, put in the work and come back strong.” He has had conversations with 10-year players who have been consistently good, “and it reminds me you can never be complacent.”
“You can never feel like you have it figured out. There is always something.”
Without going into details, Giolito said he will take time to rest and clear his head after the season ends Wednesday and then will embark on a smarter plan for 2023. He added weight last offseason and came in touching the mid-90s in velocity, but tweaked an abdominal muscle in his first start of the regular season. It’s possible he comes in lighter next season.
“I’m a big [6-6, 270 pounds] guy,” Giolito said. “I’m one of the least athletic guys in here and it’s important for me to be as athletic as I can, be able to repeat, repeat, repeat.”
It’s most important the Sox don’t repeat 2022 next season.
This and that
Elvis Andrus went 0-for-5 and is 0-for-22 in his last four games.
*Yoan Moncada was out with a sore foot from being struck by a foul ball Tuesday but will play again this season, acting manager Miguel Cairo said.
*St. Rita graduate Mark Payton played left field and collected his first two hits as a White Sox, both singles, had an RBI and scored two runs.
*Jose Abreu doubled and singled, raising his average to .306.
*Liam Hendriks earned his 34th save with his 40th scoreless outing of the season.
*Cairo said rookie Carlos Perez will catch starting pitcher Davis Martin Friday in the first of a three-game series in San Diego.
