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Giolito, White Sox face off with Tigers

By Dana Gauruder, The Sports Xchange
Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox take on the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI
Lucas Giolito and the Chicago White Sox take on the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License Photo

Nicholas Castellanos loves seeing the Chicago White Sox coming to town.

Castellanos had been in a major slump in the months of July and August. His bat perked up in a big way on Monday against a team he has worn out all season.

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The Detroit Tigers right fielder had the first five-hit game of his career -- two singles, two doubles and a homer -- and drove in five runs in their 9-5 win on Monday night. The White Sox will try to find a way to keep him in check when the teams square off in the second game of the series Tuesday.

Castellanos was batting .216 since July 1 until he erupted.

"I've been on vacation or something the past month, so I'm happy I was able to contribute today," he said in a postgame TV interview.

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Castellanos is batting .419 with 11 runs scored, four homers and 14 RBIs in 10 games against the White Sox this season.

He came into the day questionable to play after sitting out Sunday against Minnesota with a bruised foot.

"It's the kind of thing that managers do -- give them a day off when they can't walk," manager Ron Gardenhire quipped.

The pitching matchup on Tuesday pits White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito against lefty Blaine Hardy.

Giolito has been a disappointment after ranking as one of the majors' top prospects as recently as two years ago.

Control issues have been his downfall, as he's allowed an American League-high 71 walks. He's issued three or more free passes in seven of his last eight starts, including a trio in a five-inning stint against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Giolito (7-9, 6.23 ERA) also gave up two homers, including a Giancarlo Stanton grand slam, while surrendering seven runs to the Yankees.

"I've had a few outings similar to this one. It always (stinks)," Giolito told mlb.com. "But I felt really good, physically, it was just one really bad inning. All I can do is flush it and move on to the next one. My body feels good, stuff feels really good. Just keep grinding."

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He's faced the Tigers twice this season, giving up a combined 10 earned runs in 11 innings while getting tagged with a loss and no-decision. Overall, he's 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in three career starts against them.

Hardy (4-4, 3.63 ERA) didn't make his first major league start until May but this will be his 13th start out of 23 appearances this season. He's now a fixture in a rotation due to the trade of Mike Fiers to Oakland and the oblique injury that has sidelined ace Michael Fulmer.

Hardy gave up five runs in five innings to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. In his previous outing, Hardy tossed seven scoreless innings in arguably the best outing of his career against the A's.

Hardy won both of his starts against the White Sox this season, limiting them to two runs in 12 1/3 innings. He's 3-0 with a 3.49 ERA in 20 career appearances against them.

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