CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- The White Sox are on pace to improve by about 10 or 11 victories over their 62-win season in 2018, but their most important development down the stretch won't have anything to do with their record.
It will be how their young starting rotation featuring Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dylan Cease fares in the final six weeks. The White Sox will have a keen eye on their performance as their workload piles up, and they're hoping for consistency.
An All-Star for the first time, Giolito has rebounded lately after some struggles in July. He threw six innings of two-run ball and struck out a career-high 13 in a 2-0 loss to the Athletics on Sunday. Giolito is on pace to make more than 30 starts for the second straight season and has posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in a resurgent year.
Despite his strong outing Sunday, Giolito understands that to be an ace of a staff, he still has to take more strides, as he was left ruing Matt Olson's two-run homer that represented the only scoring of the day.
"I went out there in the fourth inning and didn't have my focus like I needed to," Giolito said. "You do that in the big leagues, they are going to hurt you. It was one of those days where I had to be putting up zeroes for us to have a chance. I was not able to do that."
After posting a 6.34 ERA in a rough first half in which he was one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball, Lopez has been strong lately, recording a 2.13 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break. That included a throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a win against the Athletics on Saturday evening.
His ability to show consistency and regain his 2018 form -- when he had a 3.91 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 32 starts -- will be a key for the White Sox's rebuild as it moves forward.
"I changed my mindset," Lopez said. "I just tried to simplify my thoughts. Don't get too into what is happening in the game. Stop worrying about things out of my control. Just trust my self and my pitches."
The 23-year-old rookie Cease, who has a 6.00 ERA through his first six MLB starts, will get a big test when he faces the Astros on Monday evening. He's focusing on going deeper into games and rebounding from bad innings, and the rebuild of a luxury is the White Sox have the freedom to let young pitchers work through some struggles. It's part of the maturation process.
"You don't want to just judge their struggles by outcome and performance," manager Rick Renteria said of his young starters. "The biggest gain for all of them has been the experience. We have been able to get that for them and watch their adjustments. If they were in the minor leagues, they would have been going through the same process. They have a chance to go through this learning process at the highest level you can possibly be at. They have taken their bumps and bruises. The biggest thing is they have been able to drive and compete."
White Sox veterans understand it's part of the process.
"From a young player standpoint, it can be frustrating," All-Star catcher James McCann said. "The old saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' works here. You see young prospects come up and never have had a failure. Once you have that experience of failing, nothing can replace that long period of going bad and then working out of it. We as veterans know that coming in, these guys are going to take their lumps. The end result is hopefully a win-win for everybody."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
