Giolito underwent 20 sessions of neurofeedback during the offseason in an effort to improve his breathing and stay relaxed, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that uses an individual's brainwaves to teach self-regulation of brain function. Giolito explored this technique as a way to combat early-inning adversity that snowballed on him. "That's what plagued me, those outings in the first two innings I'm already giving up four, five runs, letting it snowball and get away from me,'' Giolito said Thursday. "Getting rid of those, building some consistency as a starting pitcher - I know I have the stuff to do it.'' The 24-year-old right-hander had a 9.00 and 9.60 ERA in the first and second innings, respectively, while walking 45 batters in 62 innings. That early adversity led to an MLB-worst 6.13 ERA among qualified starters and an AL-high 90 walks.