The offense pounced on Astros rookie Corbin Martin in the third inning to get out to an early 3-0 lead. Turns out, that’s all Lucas Giolito needed as he had a career night, going the distance for a complete game shutout. With the win, the White Sox split the series with the Astros and improve to 23-26 on the season. Here’s a breakdown of tonight’s key players:
Eloy Jimenez: 1-4, HR (6), RBI, run
Another effortless swing resulted in Eloy smoking a 94.6 MPH fastball off the left field railing at 112.5 MPH for the his sixth bomb of the season. For those keeping track at home, that’s Jimenez’s third home run in 2 games. With the power stroke in full effect, opponent’s beware!
Third home run in 2 games for Eloy ?
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) May 24, 2019
Yolmer Sanchez: 3-4, run
Yolmer had a solid day at the plate, collecting his second three-hit game of the year. The second baseman was responsible for getting the third inning rally underway with a double to left, just missing a home run to the Crawford boxes. It will be interesting to see if this is a sign of things to come, as he entered today’s game hitting just .196 in May and .217 on the season.
Tim Anderson: 2-4, RBI, BB
Tim reached base three times, twice via hits and the the other courtesy of a walk. He was also partly responsible for a run coming home after Corbin Martin attempted a pick-off to first that sailed into the seats. Ride with us or get run over baby!
Lucas Giolito: 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB 9 K | 107 pitches – 82 strikes, 25 balls
You could tell Lucas was locked in from the moment the game started. His changeup and slider, especially, were just fooling Astros hitters all night long. The only time Gio faced any trouble was in the third when his command escaped him, resulting in a hit batter (which looked like a foul ball) and walk. Sorry if you were expecting to hear something worse there. Gio was just THAT dominant. His control was spot on for the rest of the night which allowed for him to keep his pitch count right where it needed to be to go the full nine. How about this, it’s also his second-straight complete game!
Lucas Giolito, 96mph Fastball (foul) and 88mph Slider (Swinging K), Overlay. pic.twitter.com/SCVOrJH08n
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 24, 2019
In case you had any doubt before tonight, Lucas Giolito is indeed the ace of this staff.
Lucas Gi-elite-o. pic.twitter.com/bvUqA6KKM9
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 24, 2019
For tonight’s box score, click here.
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Featured Photo: Getty Images
So far this season Lucas is having a fairly decent year. He can be inconsistent so hopefully the pitching staff will continue to work with him, and he’ll listen.