Newly acquired right-hander Lucas Giolito will make his debut for the Los Angeles Angels when he starts against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at Rogers Centre, the team announced on Thursday.
The Angels acquired Giolito and fellow right-hander Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday for two prospects.
It was a signal the Angels would try to contend for a playoff spot rather than sell assets prior to the Aug. 1 deadline. On Thursday, the Angels confirmed they will not be trading two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani was originally supposed to start on the mound Friday in Toronto, but he was pushed ahead to Thursday for the opening game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.
Giolito was the centrepiece of Wednesday's deal for the Halos, who were eager to add an experienced starting pitcher. The Los Angeles-area native was among the top available names on the market as an impending free agent unlikely to re-sign with the White Sox.
Giolito is 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season in 21 starts for Chicago. His 131 strikeouts are 10th in the AL, and he has limited opponents to a .211 average in his last nine starts.
Giolito spent his past seven big league seasons in Chicago's rotation, winning 59 games. He was an All-Star selection in 2019, and he threw a no-hitter on Aug. 25, 2020. He has finished in the top 11 in AL Cy Young voting three times in his career.
Kevin Gausman is slated to start Friday's series opener for Toronto.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.