Lucas Giolito isn’t a ‘morning person,’ but his excellent start against the Houston Astros on Sunday prompted Red Sox manager Alex Cora to give him a funny new nickname.

The numbers show Giolito hasn’t been effective when he pitches on extended rest. He has a 4.82 ERA (222 innings, 119 runs) in 42 career starts when he has pitched on six or more days of rest. He has a 4.08 ERA in 82 career starts on regular rest.

Lucas Giolito is not a morning person. He never has been, he said. As a kid, he stayed up late reading. As an adult, it’s more about video games. Either way, rising early is not his forte, and those unfortunate occasions when it is necessary require concerted effort — effort he managed to muster in recent days.