Lucas Giolito put his rough start to the season behind him on Thursday in historic fashion, as the White Sox No. 2 prospect fired a seven-inning no-hitter in Game 1 of Triple-A Charlotte's doubleheader against Syracuse.
Giolito issued three walks and struck out three in his gem, which also marked the longest outing in nine starts for MLBPipeline.com's No. 8 overall prospect. He recorded eight ground-ball outs and five flyouts, with 50 of his 87 pitches going for strikes in the outing.
It was the first Charlotte Knights no-hitter since Andre Rienzo accomplished the feat on July 25, 2013.
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Syracuse didn't go quietly in its final at-bat, however, and Giolito did his part to make things interesting by going 3-0 on the first three batters he faced in the seventh inning and issuing a two-out walk before getting Corban Joseph to ground out to second base for the final out. He ultimately needed 22 pitches to complete the frame, more than a quarter of the total he threw in the game.

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Giolito's performance suggests that the 22-year-old right-hander might be turning the corner after he struggled across eight starts to begin the season.
Viewed as the headliner in the prospect package acquired from the Nationals in December's Adam Eaton deal, Giolito opened his first year with the White Sox by going 0-5 with a 7.31 ERA in his first six starts. He allowed 18 walks and six home runs in 28 1/3 innings, albeit with 31 strikeouts, during that stretch.

Giolito showed progress in his next two starts, however, as he completed a then-season-high six innings on May 13 against Louisville to pick up his first win of 2017. He tossed five innings of three-run ball in his subsequent turn, a no-decision, before righting the ship in earnest on Thursday.
Giolito's no-hitter also did wonders for his ERA, which dropped to 5.44 from 6.41 behind his seven scoreless frames. Overall, he's compiled 43 strikeouts and 25 walks in 46 1/3 innings.