CHICAGO – Among the many worries that White Sox fans have for their team as June has come to an end concerns a pitcher who contributed a lot to their rise to competitiveness again.

Those only grew on Wednesday as Lucas Giolito’s difficult stretch continued over the course of five difficult innings against the Blue Jays.

The pitcher allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 95 pitches that put the White Sox into a hole they couldn’t dig out of late in the contest. While the hosts were able to get a few on the board late, it only made the score look better in a 9-5 loss that kept Toronto from being swept at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Giolito gave up a run in the first & third inning before the bottom dropped out in the fourth inning. That’s when the pitcher surrendered five runs on five hits, with Bo Bichette’s grand slam turning the game into a rout.

Instead of being pulled, Giolito was left in to finish the fifth inning, where he allowed a leadoff double but then retired three-straight batters.

This outing contributed to the struggles for the starter, which could be considered his worst stretch since his 2018 season where he went 10-13 with a 6.13 ERA. Against the Blue Jays in Toronto on May 31st, Giolito allowed a then season-high six earned runs before allowing five runs, two of which were earned, along with eight hits against the Rays on June 5th.

After giving up four earned runs to the Rangers in five innings on June 11th, Giolito surrendered a season-high eight earned runs on seven hits with three walks against the Astros last Friday. Add in Wednesday’s performance, and the pitcher now has a 5.40 ERA along with a 4-4 record.

It’s a stretch to forget for Giolito in what has been an uneven year for the White Sox, who dropped to 33-34 on the season.

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