Lucas Giolito

White Sox Ace Lucas Giolito Shines in Cactus League Debut

Lucas Giolito shines in spring training debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

PHOENIX, AZ –  With twenty pounds of added muscle providing a tree trunk of support to his lower half, the bigger and potentially better Lucas Giolito threw three scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in his Cactus League debut.

He gave up one hit and one walk to go along with four strikeouts.

“I thought the stuff was pretty good.  All of my pitches were working. All four of them now. I throw that curveball. A couple hiccups falling behind in the count, but made an adjustment quickly.  Good to feel that early on. Solid,” Giolito said about his performance. “I saw a little uptick (in velocity). Sitting 94, 95. Kind of right where I want to be, so I’m happy with that. All of the other pitches playing off of it. Getting swings and misses is always welcome.”

So is walking off the mound feeling you have more left in the tank.

“Three innings today. I felt very strong. I could have gone out for more. We’re just going to go step by step and be ready for hopefully six (innings) Opening Day,” Giolito said.

Whether Giolito actually gets the start on Opening Day is not known yet. He could have been referring to his opening start, not the first game of the season. Either way, you figure it’s either Giolito or Lance Lynn facing the Tigers April 8 in Detroit.

“Considering how Lance pitched last year, I think he’s more than deserving, but I don’t think it’s been announced yet,” Giolito said. “But I’m totally cool with whatever as long as I get the ball and get to pitch for the team. That’s all that matters to me.”

Under contract for the next two seasons, Giolito was asked if he thinks he and the White Sox can possibly come to an agreement on a contract extension before the end of the 2023 season.

“We’ll see,” Giolito said. “The organization knows how I feel about them. I absolutely love the White Sox. Love being a part of this team. I just want something fair.”

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