The Los Angeles Angels sent some youth to the Chicago White Sox last week to acquire starter Lucas Giolito.
The idea was to give the rotation another option as the organization fights for a spot in the postseason.
He made his first start with the Angels on Friday, an acceptable effort that yielded three runs in 5.1 innings of work.
Things, however, were much more difficult on Wednesday.
“Lucas Giolito’s second outing for the Angels was a rough one: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 87 P,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted.
Lucas Giolito’s second outing for the Angels was a rough one:
3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 87 P pic.twitter.com/UxrjEWzfpS
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 2, 2023
Yikes.
With the ugly outing, Giolito’s ERA for the year jumped from 3.85 to 4.36, just like that.
We have to take into account the foe, though: the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves are, by far, the team with the most home runs in MLB this season.
Giolito is homer-prone.
The result?
The right-hander allowed long balls to Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Ronald Acuna Jr.
That lineup is just impossible to navigate without some bumps in the road.
In the end, the addition of Giolito should prove useful for what Los Angeles is trying to do: he is an experienced pitcher still in the prime of his career who can help them on their playoff push.
Wednesday just wasn’t his day, as trying to beat the Braves at Truist Park is a very tall task.
The game wasn’t over at the time of writing this piece, but it was very one-sided in favor of Atlanta.
They have the best record in MLB for a reason.
NEXT: Angels Add Two Key Bats Ahead Of Trade Deadline
