White Sox finding out just how cruel baseball can be

MINNEAPOLIS — Lucas Giolito spoke for himself, but he could’ve been speaking for many of his White Sox teammates.

“I could never have predicted I would have struggled this bad,” Giolito said of his disappointing 2022 season. “Considering how much confidence I had and how good I felt coming into the season, it was a wake-up call that it can be a cruel game.”

Cruel? The Sox looked at a lenient American League Central during the spring and assumed they would conquer it, simply because they won it last season. Fans bought up tickets and team gear believing they would, too. Oddsmakers made the Sox prohibitive favorites to win it and listed them among the top World Series contenders.

After a 4-3 victory against the Twins on Thursday afternoon that halted an eight-game losing streak, the Sox are 77-79 with six games left. They are playing out the string and making plans to return to their respective homes next week.

The Sox were mathematically eliminated from the postseason Wednesday night but, as Giolito said, getting swept by the division champion Guardians last week “was the final nail in the coffin.”

“Just change the goal; we have to be an above-.500 team,” Giolito said.

Not what the Sox had in mind.

In any case, Giolito has one more start against the Twins at home next week after his five innings of two-run ball Thursday. He struck out six and walked three, lowering his ERA to a chunky 5.00, a number he didn’t see coming as the team’s Opening Day starter with ERAs of 3.48 and 3.53 the previous two seasons.

“So a lot to learn from this year,” Giolito said. “A lot of us can say that.”

Giolito said it’s on him and his teammates to “make the necessary adjustments, put in the work and come back strong.” Conversations with 10-year players who have been consistently good “reminds me you can never be complacent.”

“You can never feel like you have it figured out,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s always something.”

Without going into details, Giolito said he will take time to rest and clear his head after the season ends Wednesday, then will embark on a smarter plan for 2023. He added weight last offseason and touched the mid-90s in velocity early but tweaked an abdominal muscle in his first start of the regular season. It’s possible he comes in lighter next season.

“I’m a big [6-6, 270 pounds] guy,” Giolito said. “I’m one of the least athletic guys in here, and it’s important for me to be as athletic as I can, be able to repeat, repeat, repeat.”

Repeat 2022 is exactly what the Sox don’t want next season.

This and that

Elvis Andrus went 0-for-5 and is 0-for-22 in his last four games.

† Yoan Moncada was out with a sore foot after being struck by a foul ball Tuesday but will play again this season, acting manager Miguel Cairo said.

† Moncada’s replacement at third base, Josh Harrison, made the Sox’ 100th error. They rank 28th in the majors.

† St. Rita graduate Mark Payton played left field and had his first two hits as a Sox player, both singles, drove in a run and scored two.

† Liam Hendriks earned his 34th save with his 40th scoreless outing of the season.

† Cairo said rookie Carlos Perez will catch starting pitcher Davis Martin on Friday in the opener of a three-game series in San Diego.