Best- Lucas Giolito SP Chicago White Sox-7IP 3H 0ER 1BB 13K 1W 110 PC
Thursday saw many aces on the mound: Shane Bieber Cleveland, Clayton Kershaw Dodgers, Sonny Gray Reds, Dinelson Lamet, Jose Berrios Twins, Brandon Woodruff Brewers. But Giolito outshined them all with one of the best pitched games of his career.
Thursday afternoon Lucas Giolito had a lot on his plate. He needed to bounce back from a bad start. The White Sox were trying to keep a winning streak going and sweep the Tigers, a division rival. Well, Giolito rose to the occasion and pitched the White Sox back into talks of a team with a chance to win it all.
Giolito tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts and a season-high in innings pitched (7) and pitch count (110). The White Sox have now reached a season-high number of games over .500 with their record at 15-11. They finally look like the much-hyped dangerous playoff team.
Giolito helped solidify the White Sox status in Thursday’s start against the Detroit Tigers and has put himself back in the best pitchers’ circle. With Giolito pitching like this and the White Sox offense finally hitting, this team has a real shot at a World Series.
Other Notables: Eloy Jimenez OF White Sox-3-4 2R 2RBI 1HR; Shane Bieber SP Cleveland-6IP 6H 0ER 0BB 11K 1W; Ryan McMahon 1B Rockies-2-3 2R 4RBI 2HR; Clayton Kershaw SP Dodgers-7IP 4H 1ER 1BB 11K 1W; Matt Chapman 3B Athletics-2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR.
Worst-Raisel Iglesias CP Cincinnati Reds-.1IP 2H 3ER 1BB 1K 1BS 1L
The Reds have one of the most talented teams on paper, but their bullpen has been so bad. Their record now sits at 10-13 after another sloppy game by their closer Raisel Iglesias.
The Reds have one of the best starting rotations in baseball with their top three pitchers, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, and Trevor Bauer, being true aces. Most teams would dream of have three number one pitchers, but this bullpen is so bad it does not matter how good these three are.
Iglesias came into Thursday’s game with the Reds spotting him a 4-2 lead and three outs to get the Reds a much-needed win against their division rival the St Louis Cardinals. But Iglesias imploded for his first blown save of the year.
Even though Iglesias only has one blown save this season, he only has two saves with an ERA is 7.71, the highest of his career. The bullpen was supposed to be a strength for this Reds, but it has been their biggest weakness so far.
Extra Trash: Niko Goodrum SS Tigers-0-3 3K; Tyler Thornton SP Blue Jays-.2IP 5H 6ER 1BB 1K 1L; Cesar Hernandez 2B Cleveland-0-5 3K; Yusei Kikuchi SP Mariners-4.2IP 4H 5ER 4BB 5K 1L; Braden Bishop OF Mariners-0-3 3K.