CHICAGO -- The young starting pitchers for the White Sox have taken their fair share of lumps as they’ve gotten more experience in the big leagues, but the growth and development during those moments have been worth the patience.

Reynaldo Lopez’s repertoire is electric and he has displayed it on several occasions this season -- including a 14-strikeout performance vs. Detroit on April 28 -- but just like Lucas Giolito on Saturday, Lopez had to battle despite not having his best stuff.

And Lopez showed during Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field that those learning experiences are turning into results.

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Lopez pitched himself into a jam in the fourth inning, loading the bases after a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single and a pair of walks.

He was unable to get a swing and miss when he needed up until that point, and looked out of gas as he labored through the 39-pitch fourth inning.

Of his 99 pitches thrown during the outing, just six went for swinging strikes.

“I didn’t have my best command today, I fought through it," Lopez said, through interpreter Billy Russo. "When you recognize that you don’t have your best stuff, you just try to pitch to contact to try to get a big out. And even in that difficult inning, the fourth, with the walks and everything that happened in that inning, I could make the adjustment.”

He was able to get a big swing and miss when he needed, striking out Billy McKinney, who homered off of him in the previous inning, to get out of the jam.

Not only did Lopez get out of the inning without allowing a run, but he also responded with a 12-pitch, 1-2-3 fifth inning and a quick four-batter sixth inning.

“As a pitcher, you learn a lot on days like today, when you don’t have your stuff, because you need to find ways to get through your outing,” he said. “I learned that last year and I’ve been learning watching other pitchers go through those moments. That’s something that helps you in that development process.”

Added White Sox manager Rick Renteria: “Hopefully, as we saw in one of his better outings, he can get through it, execute and give you a really nice outing where he gets even further extended. It is a good sign.”

Lopez finished six innings and allowed just one run on four hits. It was the 25-year-old hurler’s sixth quality start over his last seven outings. In a season where the Sox are looking for growth from their young starters, outings like these can only be valuable going forward.

“In this particular instance, he has been having some games where he has some issue and he's been able to kind of manage it, albeit the second part of that, in that one particular inning I think he threw 39 pitches in that particular inning,” Renteria said. “He wasn't losing his stuff or anything but that's a lot of work.

"And I think he actually had back-to-back innings with significant traffic. It's taxing but he gets through it. He got through it. That is a huge sign when you don't have your best stuff or your best command and you're still able to navigate through that.”

Aside from Ivan Nova’s clunker on Friday night, in which he allowed nine runs over three innings, Chicago's starting rotation held its own in the four-game series split vs. the Blue Jays. Dylan Covey, Giolito and Lopez combined to go 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 16 2/3 innings.

The performances by Giolito and Lopez show their growth, and with the injury to Carlos Rodon, they will be able to show that they can lead the White Sox starting staff both now and in the future.

“It's going to be really good for them in the long run,” catcher Welington Castillo said. “They're young. A game like yesterday and today will help them in the long run because they can get through the next time their stuff is not there. They can battle like today, and they can fight.”

They now face a more difficult test during the upcoming seven-game road trip against the Houston Astros, a team that leads all of baseball in runs scored, and the Minnesota Twins, MLB's leader in home runs.

McCann, Giolito named to Hooton Advisory Board
Giolito and catcher James McCann have been named the White Sox representatives to sit on the Advisory Board of the Taylor Hooton Foundation this season.

The foundation is considered a leader in the advocacy against the use of performance-enhancing substances by the youth of America. This is the fourth straight season that the Advisory Board has included a representative from all 30 MLB teams. The MLB Advisory Board formed in 2014.

In addition to participating in the "All Me" public-service campaign, members of the Advisory Board also take part in the foundation's educational activities in their local communities. Board members have also provided their input on the most effective ways to educate North America’s young people about the dangers of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.