Giolito Shows Padres What Life Could Be Like This Season With A Real Rotation

The San Diego Padres have been conducting open auditions for spots in the back of their rotation, and they’ve been waiting for someone to step up and take the ball and run with it. Right-hander Lucas Giolito did just that yesterday, pitching into the sixth inning and giving up just one hit. 

Giolito did get tagged with three runs on his final line, but that didn’t end up meaning a lot, either in the context of the game or the way he pitched. The Padres broke out against the Seattle Mariners offensively to give Giolito a big lead, and the combination of his lack of buildup and a normal letdown did him in as he walked three hitters and all three ended up scoring in the 8-3 win. 

“One-run lead through those first five, and the offense just goes ballistic,” Giolito said in a followup piece written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “I just think that I might have let off the gas pedal a little bit and lost a little bit of that edge and focus. Lost some mechanics there in the sixth inning, and it got a little out of control. Definitely a good one to learn from. But it feels good to be back out there.”

The Padres almost certainly agree. They just got bad news about starters Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, both of whom can’t even play catch right now after being shut down with injuries. It was starting to look like San Diego would have to hang on and wait until the trade deadline to get potential reinforcements, but now that may not be the case. 

What was impressive about Giolito was his overall command before he lost the plate and his mechanics in the sixth. Watching starters like Walker Buehler, German Marquez and Matt Waldron has been an exercise in nail-biting, but Giolito dominated Seattle hitters, to the point where it became a huge surprise when he started to struggle. 

Slotting Giolito into the rotation could also help with the overall long-term health of the pitching staff. Manager Craig Stammen has been working the bullpen on an almost nightly basis, and adding Waldron or Buehler in as a long man with swing capabilities could help Stammen keep the bullpen healthy. 

The trade deadline is still a target date for more reinforcements, but Giolito is a big add when it comes to staying in contention. The Padres play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a key three-game series this week, and Giolito’s start has to be a big boost going into that one.