Catching Lucas Giolito must be exhausting.

Watching him certainly is, at least at times. Monday night was one of those times.

Giolito continued his “Wild Thing” routine, reclaiming the American League lead in walked batters. He issued four free passes over five-plus innings in the White Sox’s 4-0 loss to the Indians on the South Side.

And it’s not as if plate umpire Paul Nauert was an accessory. Giolito threw a pitch that sailed over catcher Kevan Smith’s head and several more that almost did. He missed high, low, inside, outside. Of his 93 pitches, 46 went for strikes.

The game’s best control pitchers throw strikes more than two-thirds of the time.

Giolito had shown progress in his previous two starts, walking just two batters over a combined 12 innings and throwing 61.1 percent for strikes.

“His last start was a step forward and the one before that a modest one,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said before the game. “We all saw in spring training and at the end of last season what he’s capable of doing.

“It’s in there. Just a matter of getting it back out.”

Giolito, a 23-year-old Californian with a 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame, teased the Sox by posting a 2.38 ERA in seven starts last season from Aug. 22-Sept. 24. He averaged fewer than two walks per appearance.

But something has gone wrong with his delivery, and the result was a brutal fourth inning Monday.

With one out, he froze Francisco Lindor on a pitch that missed Smith’s target but still caught the plate.

Effectively wild.

He then missed badly on a 3-2 fastball to Yonder Alonso, yelling to himself.

His first pitch to Melky Cabrera almost sailed to the backstop, and his 3-1 pitch missed by 3 feet.

Wild.

He got unlucky on an inside fastball to Lonnie Chisenhall, who flared it into shallow center for a run-scoring single.

Then Yan Gomes lined a double to left, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.

After Giolito induced an inning-ending groundout, he walked off the mound with his glove pressed against his mouth. He appeared to be muttering to himself.

Last month in Pittsburgh, Giolito said he would not be able to fix his mechanical issues during bullpen sessions between starts.

“It’s stuff I need to fix in the gym,” he said. “Movement patterns. Rebuild athleticism that I’ve lost. I can work on my delivery all day outside, but when you get in the heat of the moment, in the game, your body will go to default mode.

“For me it’s getting in the gym, working on mobility and other things, and then I don’t have to worry about it when I’m throwing.”

Giolito’s ERA rose a tick, from 7.08 to 7.09, the highest in the AL.

The Sox seem to think it’s best to keep Giolito in the big leagues, to let him vie for progress under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper.

“When you’re dealing with young players, you try to take the holistic approach with their development,” Hahn said. “Fundamentally, the first step is dealing with mechanical issues.

“You (also) need to make sure they’re unclogged between the ears.”

tgreenstein@chicagotribune.com