MLB teams have been announcing their Opening Day starters for a few days now, and on Monday, the Chicago White Sox made it clear who is taking the ball in the first game of their season.
“Your 2022 #WhiteSox Opening Day starting pitcher: Lucas Giolito!,” Chicago’s official Twitter account wrote on Monday.
Your 2022 #WhiteSox Opening Day starting pitcher: Lucas Giolito! pic.twitter.com/D80vN9h3MO
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 4, 2022
Giolito will be taking the ball on Friday to take on the up-and-coming Detroit Tigers.
Lance Lynn, the other logical candidate, is currently sidelined with an injury, leaving an open path to Giolito to get the assignment.
Giolito, currently 27 years old, conceded only four earned runs on 11 hits with a 13/7 K/BB ratio across 11 1/3 innings in the Cactus League during the 2022 spring training.
The White Sox will presumably use right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech to close the series against the Tigers.
A Well-Deserved Honor To One Of The Top Right-Handers In The American League
It’s a well-deserved recognition for Giolito, who recently avoided arbitration with the White Sox and signed his one-year deal to play the 2022 campaign.
In 2021, he started 31 games and covered 178.2 innings, in which he earned a 11-9 record and a solid 3.53 ERA.
He struck out 201 hitters and posted a 1.10 WHIP.
The changeup artist, therefore, will be tasked with giving the White Sox a quality start so they can get an Opening Day victory against a rival in an upward trajectory.
The Tigers’ lineup is much-improved, at least in comparison with the 2021 edition: it now has star shortstop Javier Baez, uber-prospect Spencer Torkelson, and a much more mature Akil Baddoo, for example.
Giolito is, however, talented enough to silence those bats and keep the White Sox in the game for at least six innings.
NEXT: White Sox GM Comments On Needs Following Lance Lynn Injury