When MLB released the All-Star teams on July 4, there was one name missing: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray. He wasn’t happy he was snubbed, but there was a shot of him added as an injury replacement. It didn’t happen.
Instead of being in Philadelphia last week, the 36-year-old right-hander enjoyed some time off. It might not have been the worst thing. Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals over the winter, he is turning into the anchor of Boston’s staff.
After closing out the first half on a nine-game winning streak, the Red Sox opened the unofficial second half at home. A four-game series against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays turned into the latest Red Sox sweep. They won all four games in three days, and they rode the arm of Sonny Gray on Sunday afternoon. He didn’t have his best stuff, but was good enough to secure another victory.
Boston Red Sox Pitcher Sonny Gray Doesn’t Mince Words After Win Over Rays
Gray didn’t have his best stuff against Tampa Bay. He went six innings, scattered five hits, and allowed one run on an inside-the-park home run from Rays Victor Mesa, Jr. in the second inning. Gray walked four and struck out five in a 6-1 win for Boston’s 13th straight.
“A little rusty, but that’s OK,” Gray said, per Avery Hill of the Boston Globe. “I have a week to dial it back and get it back together, and just have one good day.”
A little rust makes sense, but it didn’t stop him from improving to 12-1 with a 2.48 ERA. Gray may not have been good all game long, but when Tampa Bay got baserunners, he was able to bear down. The Rays were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Gutting through his start didn’t go lost on interim manager Chad Tracy.
“Just as a pro does, he got through the outing and gave us six great innings,” Tracy said, per Hill. “So it was a gutsy outing.”
Boston Red Sox Offense Bails Out Sonny Gray
The inside-the-park home run from Mesa Jr. was the lone run Tampa Bay would score. Greg Weissert, Jovanni Morán, and Ryan Watson closed out the game with one scoreless inning each. Meanwhile, Boston’s offense was led by Willson Contreras, who hit a two-run home run. They also scored three runs in the bottom of the third for a 4-1 lead by not hitting the ball out of the infield. That’s just the way things are going right now for the Red Sox. Gray admitted he didn’t have his best stuff.
“I said that in my head a lot today. . . . ‘Hey you don’t have your (expletive) right now, and that’s OK,‘ ” Gray said. “‘Your boys have picked you up, you have a lead, but just pitch to win this game, at this moment, right now.’ ”
Boston will host the Baltimore Orioles for three games beginning on Monday night. They will then host the Toronto Blue Jays for three more games next weekend. Just six games behind the Rays after the sweep, they have their eyes set on the American League East Division. However, that’s something not many thought was just a dream a month ago.
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