Story by
Red Sox’ Sonny Gray has forgettable start in an otherwise unforgettable game
- Story by
- Red Sox’ Sonny Gray has forgettable start in an otherwise unforgettable game
CINCINNATI — The Red Sox traded for veteran starter Sonny Gray last winter to give them a veteran presence in their rotation, someone they could count on to provide both innings and strikeouts.
That version of Sonny Gray didn’t appear on the mound at Great American Ballpark Saturday. He didn’t factor in the decision in a game that lasted seven more innings after he left, resulting in a 6-5, 11-inning win for Cincinnati.
Advertisement
The game featured plenty of controversial calls, a dramatic, game-tying homer in the ninth and a walk-off win for the home team. It did not, however, feature a memorable start in Gray’s first outing for the Sox.
Gray labored heavily (35 pitches) in the first inning, fell behind on the scoreboard early and lasted only four innings. It was far from his best work.
“He finished strong, to be honest with you,” assessed Alex Cora. Indeed, after allowing a solo homer to Sal Stewart to lead off the third and a follow-up single to Eugenio Suarez , Gray retired five of the last six hitters he faced. But with his pitch count already at 80 after just four innings, he was done.
And, to be sure, there were some extenuating circumstances when it came to some of the runs scored against him. A throwing error by Trevor Story in the second led directly to an unearned run. And Gray himself had difficulty controlling a squibber in the second, allowing a run to score from third.
Advertisement
But Gray wasn’t as sharp as he should have been.
“The first inning got a little carried away,” said the righty. “They kind of jumped me early. Overall, I don’t feel like I put us in a good position to win the game, if I’m being honest...I just put us in a pretty big hole early and we did our best to climb out of it. I just don’t feel like I gave us a really good chance to win the game.”
Familiarity may have played a role there. Having pitched in St. Louis the previous two seasons, the Reds got a lot of looks at him from within the NL Central and had a game plan against him.
“I faced these guys a lot the last few years, just being in the division,” said Gray, “and they were kind of leaning over (the plate, looking to go the other way). I could tell that was going to be the approach and I just wasn’t able to then make the adjustment to combat that.
Advertisement
“I continued to try to execute pitches and stay in it. I never had lack of (competitiveness). It just didn’t go our way early, but I was happy to see that we didn’t give up. We fought back and gave them a run for it there at the end.”
Despite the loss and his less-than-satisfactory outing, Gray chose to view the day as something upon which to build.
“I felt good,” he said. “I’m just going to keep pushing forward, get to work and figure out a way to make an adjustment and I think we’ll be OK.”
More Red Sox coverage
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
