Lucas Giolito threw four innings against the Phillies on Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out five.

It could have been worse! Giolito reined in his control issues a bit, and he actually managed whiffs on 14 of 33 swings, including seven of eight swings on his slider, while allowing just four hard-hit balls. He could not quite hit five-and-dive as he was pulled with nobody out in the fifth after allowing an Adolis García home run and Justin Crawford double. Yuki Matsui bravely bailed out the Crawford run from the earned column with an errant pickoff throw. This was broadly encouraging but we’re not quite ready to recommend him against the Reds next week.