Coming into Tuesday’s matchup with the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Angels were in desperate need of a win, but that would only come if Lucas Giolito was able to provide them with some quality innings.
The right-hander had failed to produce a positive outing through his previous two turns in the rotation, allowing five homers in his last nine innings. He had expressed his optimism over making his home debut at Angel Stadium, and he didn’t disappoint, turning in six solid innings.
Giolito was on a decent leash, reaching the 101-pitch mark through six frames, surrendering three earned runs on three hits while punching out seven. Giants hitters managed to work three walks, but only registered two hard hits against the newest Angels starter.
Angels manager Phil Nevin has done his best to keep the bullpen usage at bay until recently, but Giolito’s quality start was a huge boost given the team’s stretch, per Rhett Bollinger of the MLB.com:
“Gio pitched a heck of a game,” Nevin said. “The third inning, he got a little sideways with his secondary stuff, but was able to reel it back in and get some big outs with runners on base. His pitch count got elevated but to get through six was outstanding. His changeup was really good.”
Using a three-pitch mix against the Giants, Gilito managed to notch 17 whiffs, eight via his changeup. It was a night and day difference from his last start, and a welcomed sign for Angels fans who got a taste of how impressive he can be:
“I felt my performance was OK,” Giolito said. “It was really one bad inning. But I think the real story was the offense and defense and the two guys in the ‘pen locking it down. We got a four-run lead right out of the chute and the defense was fantastic. It made my job easier.”
That one bad innings came in the third, after a trio of singles made Giolito regret the pair of walks he issued. However, that would be the only damage in his outing before handing it over to the bullpen.
Angels pitchers don’t believe coaching is to blame for recent issues
One bright spot from the Angels’ disappointing 2022 season was their pitching staff emerging as a potential building block for years to come. The group finished ninth in ERA and appeared to be a major strength heading into 2023.
That unfortunately has not been the case as the Angels’ pitching staff has been arguably their biggest weakness with two months remaining in the regular season.
While some are quick to place the blame on Angels pitching coach Matt Wise and assistant pitching coach Bill Hezel, Patrick Sandoval believes they have done an excellent job.
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