Giolito was able to overcome lower-than normal fastball velocity with a stellar changeup in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Astros, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.
Giolito has thrown a season-high 167 innings this season, so reduced fastball velocity is to be expected. He overcame that with a changeup he threw 18 times, with 11 going for strikes. "The changeup was a good pitch for me aside from a few I left up in the zone," Giolito said. "I had a lot of confidence in it and that was probably the offspeed pitch I was most comfortable going to in situations." This was another test for the young pitcher, being able to squelch a dangerous lineup without his best stuff. He's thrown four quality starts in six outings since his callup to Chicago and has been much better this season than during his introduction to MLB in 2016 while with the Nationals.