CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lucas Giolito can pinpoint the moment in his Triple-A start Wednesday night where it went from feeling like a breakthrough to feeling more like an incremental step in a long process.
With a full count against Pawtucket infielder Josh Rutledge, the first man up in the sixth inning, Giolito, not long ago the top-ranked pitcher in all of the minor leagues, reached back for a little something extra on his fastball. After sitting 93-95 mph in his first inning of work, he had slowly slid down to the 90-92 mph zone. Despite being in the middle of a great night for his famous overhand curveball, he had been working on his four-seam fastball command and was feeling good about its downward plane.