Lucas Giolito gives the Red Sox a boost but more pitching help is needed
'You take away a few games and he's been really good, in my mind one of the top 20 guys in the league.'
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Giolito's reliability has played a big role in the Red Sox contending for a playoff spot with 53 games remaining.
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'The last month and half, he's been solid,' manager Alex Cora said. 'That's what we need. Not only an innings-eater but a guy who can pitch quality innings.'
Giolito left two runners stranded in the first inning when he retired Kody Clemens — Roger's son — on a fly ball to center field.
Giolito retired 13 of 14 before the Twins manufactured a run in the fifth. He then ended a two-out rally in the sixth by striking out Harrison Bader.
That ended his night after 101 pitches.
'We ran into some trouble, fifth and sixth inning, some long, long counts,' Giolito said. 'Too many pitches, but it was good to complete six and take a little bit of pressure off.'
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After not pitching last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and pitching for three teams in 2023, Giolito has enjoyed being part of a group again.
'I'm very much focused internally on the team, the clubhouse, winning baseball games,' he said.
Then taking the next step into October. A postseason rotation of Garrett Crochet, Bryan Bello, and Giolito would be formidable.
As it stands today, Walker Buehler would be the No. 4 starter. He's 6-6 with a 5.72 ERA.
But Buehler has an excellent playoff pedigree — 10-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 19 games, 18 of them starts.
His one relief appearance was a perfect ninth inning to close out the final game of the World Series last season.
The Sox would probably be inclined to lean on that history and keep Buehler in the rotation for the postseason.
But here's the thing: They need to get there first.
As relatively solid as their first four starters, there is no fifth starter on the roster at the moment unless you count righthander Cooper Criswell, who was summoned from Triple A Worcester on Tuesday to supplement the bullpen.
Criswell has not started a major league game this season. He is 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 16 starts for Worcester.
We all get caught up in numbering starters. But as teams fight for playoff spots, that's meaningless. What counts is giving the team a chance to win the game and not leaving the bullpen in tatters for the next day.
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As they pursue a postseason berth, the Sox should have better rotation options than Criswell, Richard Fitts or a bullpen game. But that depends on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acting with nerve, not caution, as Thursday's trade deadline approaches.
Giolito and the rest of the players are waiting to see what happens.
'I'm curious,' Giolito said. 'That's for all the people upstairs to deal with. But definitely curious to see how we add.'
How or if? That's the question.
Peter Abraham can be reached at
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