GLENDALE, Ariz. — Right-hander Lucas Giolito dropped 35 pounds from his 6-6 frame over the winter, arriving at camp around 245 after weighing 280 a year ago.
Can he keep the weight off to maintain his agility? He doesn’t sense it will be an issue.
“My muscle mass is much better now than it was then,” Giolito said Sunday before the White Sox’s day off Monday. “Obviously, I weigh less, so there isn’t as much [muscle]. But it’s a higher ratio.”
Giolito added it’s tougher to maintain weight during the regular season because of the choppy schedule and travel demands.
“The big thing is making sure we’re taking care of my body over the course of the season and maintaining weight, staying strong,” he said.
Counterpunch time
Staff ace Dylan Cease takes the mound Tuesday against the Athletics at Camelback Ranch for the first time since he felt he was “punched in the face” after allowing 11 runs on seven hits and four walks in two-thirds of an inning in his last start against the Royals.
And manager Pedro Grifol is looking for better results even though Cease’s debacle doesn’t count toward the regular season.
“I’m sure he’s going out there the next time and will ramp it up,” Grifol said. “Nobody wants to go out there and not have a good day. But it happens.
“Every game we play, every game I manage, every game we pitch, they want to be great. It doesn’t matter if it’s spring training or the regular season.”
Cease, who was 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA last season, will face the World Series champion Astros in the season opener March 30.
