Giolito gives Red Sox much-needed quality start in win vs. Rays

Giolito gives Red Sox much-needed quality start in win vs. Rays originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox needed a bounce-back outing from Lucas Giolito on Tuesday, and the veteran right-hander delivered.

Giolito, who entered his Tuesday start with a lackluster 6.42 ERA, limited the Tampa Bay Rays to only one run (none earned) on three hits and three walks through six innings. He struck out four Rays hitters en route to a 3-1 Red Sox victory at Fenway Park.

The performance was a breath of fresh air for a Red Sox rotation that has been abysmal with the exception of ace Garrett Crochet. All season, Boston’s starters have struggled and strained the bullpen with their inability to pitch deep into games.

“We needed that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the win. “We were very thin in the bullpen. It was good to see him. Velo’s up, location was better, the mix of pitches, really good. And one run over six, that’s more than enough.”

Giolito’s dip in fastball velocity was a concern over his last few starts, but it was back in the mid-to-upper 90s on Tuesday. After allowing seven earned runs in only 1.2 innings during his previous start against the Los Angeles Angels, he went back to the drawing board with pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

“After the last outing, we really broke down a lot of my mechanics and made some big-time adjustments,” Giolito said. “Which is still a work in progress, but we found something to get that life back on my heater. … and then let everything play off of that.”

Tuesday’s win marked the Red Sox’ second straight game with a starter making it at least six innings. Right-hander Brayan Bello pitched 6.1 innings in a losing effort on Monday, his second consecutive six-inning start after failing to make it through five innings in his previous five outings.

“We’re two for two in this series, and hopefully we can do it again tomorrow,” Cora said. “To get the lead is important at this level. You can use the bullpen after that however you want. And it’s tough to comeback. Like, 65 percent of the games we’ve been behind.”

Walker Buehler will look to complete the trifecta when he takes the mound for Wednesday’s rubber match. Like Giolito, the veteran righty is looking for a bounce-back performance after lasting only two innings in Friday’s loss to the New York Yankees.

First pitch for Wednesday’s series finale against the Rays at Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.