Giolito (10-2) allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out nine across 4.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Cubs.
Giolito was doomed by the long ball, as he surrendered three home runs -- two to Willson Contreras -- including a grand slam in the first frame. Despite clearly lacking his best stuff, Giolito still generated nine strikeouts on 21 swinging strikes and also managed to work into the fifth inning. He's been excellent for the majority of the season, illustrated by the fact that he still has a 2.74 ERA and 1.02 WHIP after this shaky effort, and that he'd allowed more than one earned run only twice in his last nine starts entering Wednesday. Giolito will look to get back on track during his next start, which comes in the form of another tough matchup Monday at Boston.