KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Following a tough outing Tuesday against the Rangers at Fenway Park, Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito realized he needed to make some changes. So he got to work.
After being tagged for six earned runs in 10 hits over 3 ⅔ innings in which he featured a two-pitch mix, Giolito knew he had to go back to the drawing board. Working with pitching coach Andrew Bailey and bullpen coach Chris Holt, Giolito wanted to completely re-invent his slider, which he threw once Tuesday, in an effort to get back on track.
That he did. The veteran, making his third start of the season for Boston, threw sliders for 19 of his 88 pitches (22%) and showed an effective four-pitch mix that allowed him to go 6 ⅔ innings while allowing just one (unearned run) and two hits in a 3-1 Red Sox win at Kauffman Stadium.
“There was a big grip change, for sure, just to where it was more comfortable in my hand,” Giolito said. “I felt like I could throw it like a fastball and rip it. Then, in the bullpen we just worked on getting that good release point with it and carried it into the game today.
“It’s in between a cutter and slider,” he explained. “Much better feel for that than what I was trying to do the last few months. We’re gonna stick with that and continue to refine it.”
On a soggy night at Fenway on Tuesday, Giolito threw fastballs and changeups for all but two of his 74 pitches against the Rangers. Texas sat back and demolished him in a fourth inning that included five runs on nine hits, including back-to-back ground-rule doubles to begin the inning. An outing Giolito called “terrible” left a bad taste in his mouth. The real tweaks began Thursday in Boston before the team departed for the Midwest.
“Going in with just two pitches, that’s not really going to cut it in this league,” Giolito said. “We got to work. We made adjustments with the slider. A lot of credit to Bails and Holty helping me out with that the last three days. Turned into a real weapon, so we utilized that today.
“A lot more sliders and curveballs. Narvi (Carlos Narvaez) was fantastic behind home plate today, calling all the right pitches and locations. We were able to get into a good groove.”
Giolito retired the first six batters he faced before his only blip of the day in the third inning. He allowed a leadoff single to Drew Waters, then walked Luke Maile before committing a throwing error on a Kyle Isbel bunt attempt that allowed a run to score. Suddenly down, 1-0, Giolito locked in with three quick outs. He retired 12 of his final 14 batters and finished with five strikeouts.
Giolito’s fastball, which averaged 91.6 mph Tuesday, was up to 94 mph Sunday. He maxed out at 96.1 mph.
“The other day, he was throwing 91 and the changeup was 87,” said manager Alex Cora. “You sit middle and react to the pitch. Now, you have something different to look for. He’s able to bounce pitches, expand.
“Better mix, better command (Sunday). Fastball was a little harder, 93-94 (mph). I think it’s the mix of the pitches. Sliders, curves, the changeup was OK. I think the fastball played. There were a lot of mis-hit balls. From the get-go, he was in control.”
Giolito’s long outing was particularly important because the Red Sox, who used seven relievers in a 12-inning loss Friday, were still short on bullpen arms. Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman gave Boston the last seven outs to secure a win powered by homers from Wilyer Abreu (solo) and Rafael Devers (two-run).
“The last two days, we were banged up in the bullpen…,” Cora said. “Both of them, Crochet and Gio, gave us more than enough.”
Giolito, who missed all of last year after undergoing elbow surgery and had the start of his 2025 season delayed by a hamstring strain, pitched well in his season debut in Toronto on April 30, striking out seven and allowing three runs in five innings. Then, the Rangers outing was a disaster. But Sunday’s performance against one of the better teams in the American League was a good sign that Giolito is settling back into his routine after the layoff.
“Today was a big step forward in that regard,” he said. “I feel like now, it’s 100% healthy. There’s no worry about anything with the hamstring, the elbow or anything like that. Getting into my good rhythm and routine. Today’s a good one to build on.”
