The Chicago White Sox had just taken a three-run lead.

They needed a closing inning in the fifth. Lucas Giolito did just that, striking out Taylor Ward and Mike Trout and getting Shohei Ohtani to fly out to right.

Giolito was the winning pitcher as the Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Tuesday in front of 22,135 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But he gave credit to the offense.

“The real story is the offense did a wonderful job picking me up,” Giolito said. “In the first inning I gave up a run, put us in a hole. They immediately respond, tie it up, it’s a new game. On the fourth inning, I give up two and then they immediately respond.

“They prevented (the shutdowns) from happening twice, which puts the momentum right back at our side, so all the credit goes to them. I didn’t throw well enough to deserve a win to my name. They just did their thing and I was able to work through five innings.”

Romy González played a big role on offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run. Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. had three hits in the 11-hit effort.

[ [Don’t miss] GM Rick Hahn assesses the Chicago White Sox 2 months into the season: ‘We’re not playing at the level we’re capable of’ ]

When asked what he’s been clicking, González said: “Just playing every day. See pitches, see shapes. This game is very difficult, so when you get a chance to play every day and you feel comfortable, it definitely helps.”

González was in the thick of the action in a five-run quarter.

The Angels had just gone ahead 3–1 on Ohtani’s solo home run and Gio Urshela’s sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth.

The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning. Andrew Vaughn drove in all three with a double for a 4-3 lead.

Gonzalez drove in Vaughn with a double, then stole third and scored on Urshela’s error, extending the lead to 6-3.

“Romy is extremely talented,” coach Pedro Grifol said. She has all five tools. Obviously, there are some things that she has to work on, just like all the players and all of us. But when she puts it all together, she can beat you in so many ways and she proved that tonight.”

Grifol said Giolito followed up with “probably the key to the game,” retiring the Angels in order in the fifth.

“After we scored, he came out and gave us that fifth was very, very good,” Grifol said. “I only see one guy who is really competing. He does a very good job of knowing what’s available to him today, what he has to do to help us win a baseball game. He has another little kit that he can go get if he needs it.

“Tonight I needed him in the fifth. We put a point out of five and you have the top of the order and he does what he did? He has another gear and he shows you that he is a winner. He knew what he had to do in that situation.

“Actually, I was struggling a bit to get back out there (for sixth). She said that she found some things and felt very good in that fifth. He just wasn’t the right thing, but he was very happy with what he did in the fifth and his reaction of wanting to go back out in the sixth.”

Giolito (4-4) allowed three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings. The Sox turned to Reynaldo Lopez, who pitched two perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts.

“(López) came in throwing hard like always,” Giolito said. “That slider looked good, that change looked good.”

González created a little more distance with a solo home run in the sixth, his third straight game with a long pass.

“Burger (had) three (earlier this season), so we were playing around a bit to see if he could get the fourth tomorrow,” Gonzalez said.

With the win, the Red Sox (23-34) clinched a winning month (15-13 in May) and moved within six games of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. They will look for another series victory on Wednesday.

“(The team’s mindset is) to keep playing good, focused, clean baseball,” Giolito said. “I know I have a couple of things I need to improve on so I can give us a better chance to win every time I take the ball. But for the most part, we have to keep sticking together, keep playing hard. That is really. Win games and see what happens.”

The Chicago White Sox had just taken a three-run lead.

They needed a closing inning in the fifth. Lucas Giolito did just that, striking out Taylor Ward and Mike Trout and getting Shohei Ohtani to fly out to right.

Giolito was the winning pitcher as the Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Tuesday in front of 22,135 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But he gave credit to the offense.

“The real story is the offense did a wonderful job picking me up,” Giolito said. “In the first inning I gave up a run, put us in a hole. They immediately respond, tie it up, it’s a new game. On the fourth inning, I give up two and then they immediately respond.

“They prevented (the shutdowns) from happening twice, which puts the momentum right back at our side, so all the credit goes to them. I didn’t throw well enough to deserve a win to my name. They just did their thing and I was able to work through five innings.”

Romy González played a big role on offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run. Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. had three hits in the 11-hit effort.

[ [Don’t miss] GM Rick Hahn assesses the Chicago White Sox 2 months into the season: ‘We’re not playing at the level we’re capable of’ ]

When asked what he’s been clicking, González said: “Just playing every day. See pitches, see shapes. This game is very difficult, so when you get a chance to play every day and you feel comfortable, it definitely helps.”

González was in the thick of the action in a five-run quarter.

The Angels had just gone ahead 3–1 on Ohtani’s solo home run and Gio Urshela’s sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth.

The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning. Andrew Vaughn drove in all three with a double for a 4-3 lead.

Gonzalez drove in Vaughn with a double, then stole third and scored on Urshela’s error, extending the lead to 6-3.

“Romy is extremely talented,” coach Pedro Grifol said. She has all five tools. Obviously, there are some things that she has to work on, just like all the players and all of us. But when she puts it all together, she can beat you in so many ways and she proved that tonight.”

Grifol said Giolito followed up with “probably the key to the game,” retiring the Angels in order in the fifth.

“After we scored, he came out and gave us that fifth was very, very good,” Grifol said. “I only see one guy who is really competing. He does a very good job of knowing what’s available to him today, what he has to do to help us win a baseball game. He has another little kit that he can go get if he needs it.

“Tonight I needed him in the fifth. We put a point out of five and you have the top of the order and he does what he did? He has another gear and he shows you that he is a winner. He knew what he had to do in that situation.

“Actually, I was struggling a bit to get back out there (for sixth). She said that she found some things and felt very good in that fifth. He just wasn’t the right thing, but he was very happy with what he did in the fifth and his reaction of wanting to go back out in the sixth.”

Giolito (4-4) allowed three runs and four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings. The Sox turned to Reynaldo Lopez, who pitched two perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts.

“(López) came in throwing hard like always,” Giolito said. “That slider looked good, that change looked good.”

González created a little more distance with a solo home run in the sixth, his third straight game with a long pass.

“Burger (had) three (earlier this season), so we were playing around a bit to see if he could get the fourth tomorrow,” Gonzalez said.

With the win, the Red Sox (23-34) clinched a winning month (15-13 in May) and moved within six games of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. They will look for another series win on Wednesday.

“(The team’s mindset is) to keep playing good, focused, clean baseball,” Giolito said. “I know I have a couple of things I need to improve on so I can give us a better chance to win every time I take the ball. But for the most part, we have to keep sticking together, keep playing hard. That is really. Win games and see what happens.”