Lucas Giolito named American League Pitcher of the Month
CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito has been named American League Pitcher of the Month for May, his first career monthly honor. He also has been chosen as the AL Player of the Week for May 27-June 2.
Giolito, 24, went 5-0 with a 1.74 ERA (8 ER/41 1/3 IP), two complete games, a .169 opponents average (24-142), 0.82 WHIP, 46 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed over six May starts. He ranked among the major-league May leaders in complete games (1st), wins (T-1st), winning percentage (T-1st, 1.000), IP (T-3rd), opponents slugging percentage (4th, .232), opponents OPS (5th, .465), ERA (6th), strikeouts (7th), WHIP (9th) and opponents average (10th). Giolito allowed one run or less four times, three hits or less three times, and surrendered just five extra-base hits.
Giolito threw back-to-back complete games on May 18 vs. Toronto (5.0 IP) and May 23 at Houston (9.0 IP), the first White Sox pitcher to accomplish the feat since Chris Sale from May 13-19, 2016. His effort on May 18 snapped the club’s streak of 382 consecutive contests without a complete game. Giolito’s seven-game winning streak dating back to April 12 is the second-longest in the majors this season (overall and active) behind Minnesota’s Jake Odorizzi (eight), and the longest by a Sox pitcher since Sale in 2016 (nine).
Giolito’s 1.74 ERA in May was the lowest monthly mark of his career, and he became the first White Sox to record a sub-2.00 ERA in May since Sale in 2013 (0.87 ERA; 3 ER/31.0 IP). He is the first Sox pitcher to win the AL monthly honor since Sale in June 2015, and the first right-hander since Jake Peavy in April 2012.
Giolito’s win follows Tim Anderson being named AL Player of the Month in April. They are the first set of White Sox teammates to win monthly honors in the same season since Peavy (April) and Sale (May) in 2012. The last time the Sox had multiple monthly winners in the same year was 2014 (José Abreu in April and July).
Giolito went 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA (3 ER/15 1/3 IP), .154 opponents average (8-52), 19 strikeouts, one walk allowed and a 0.59 WHIP over two starts last week to earn his first career weekly honor. He capped the week yesterday with 7 1/3 scoreless IP in a win over Cleveland at Guaranteed Rate Field.