Although the Los Angeles Angels took the loss on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, they got a first look at their newly acquired right-hander, who figures to be a big piece to their late-season run.
Entering play on Saturday with a clear shot at the American League Wild Card, the Angels have to continue their solid play until a handful of key contributors make their way back from injury. Giolito’s presence in the Angels staff is a huge addition, one that was needed to provide Shohei Ohtani with a proven number two arm.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t stellar in his first outing but did pitch well enough for the offense to have a chance. The Angels will need Giolito, and a push from the bats to compete in a tough AL race, and he was disappointed by his results, via Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
The Angels got Giolito to bolster their rotation, and in his first game he said he was “not the best.”
“I felt relatively sharp, throwing a lot of strikes, but they hammered my mistakes pretty good,” Giolito said.
Giolito expanded on his new situation following the trade, and the Angels’ commitment to going for it all during their pivotal season. They could have gutted it and revamped in sell-mode, but following the trade, Giolito is already on board with their direction:
“It feels like that playoff atmosphere every single game, which I’m all here for,” Giolito said. “I’m bummed out that I didn’t get the job done today to help the team, but I like what’s happening here. Really, really positive vibes. The clubhouse chemistry. I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
The Angels and manager Phil Nevin like what they saw from Giolito, hinting that the hard-throwing righty should provide them with enough of a boost to take the load off Ohtani in those big outings:
“He’s going to pitch deep into games for us,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “He’s going to throw a lot of pitches for us. Really excited to have him. We’re gonna win a lot of games with him.”
The backend of the rotation is a mixture of Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Tyler Anderson, and Griffin Canning. Giolito pushes the rest down, and allows them to work with a bit less pressure hanging over them.
A group with Ohtani, Giolito and Anderson, all of whom have pitched at high levels, is a formidable trio that other teams should take note of, that is if the latter can figure his issues out.
What can Lucas Giolito bring to the Angels?
Aside from a wealth of innings, Giolito possesses a solid mix, led by his four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. Much of his issues have come from leaving his fastball in the heart of the plate, but also dealing with a number of struggles getting hitters to chase outside the strike zone.
The Angels should maximize his slider, working that more into the fold, as he’s allowed a .232 expected batting average against.
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