Sonny Gray gives up two runs in Game 2 defeat

Gray seems to have plenty left in the tank as he approaches his 37th birthday in November, but it’s not the first time he’s hinted that he doesn’t see himself going the Justin Verlander route. He was also especially frustrated with the way his final start ended, suggesting that manager Chad Tracy should have trusted him to get more outs instead of pulling him in the fifth. “I don’t know what the future holds for me,” Gray said. “I do know that I walked off that mound with my chest back and my chin up, and I can definitely be proud that I left it all out there until the ball was taken out of my hands.” Gray will be eligible for free agency this winter, likely by opting out of his contract after the Red Sox pick up their portion of a $30 million option.

Sonny Gray will start Game 2, with Ranger Suarez potentially lined up for Game 3. It seems that Tracy may be looking to break up his lefties. Tolle is certainly a worthwhile Game 1 starter. He finished the regular season with a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 28.4 percent strikeout rate across 148 2/3 innings. He has never made a start in the postseason before, while Gray has previous experience. Gray also posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 21.8 percent strikeout rate in 169 innings this year. Either way, the Red Sox have a nice duo set up to start the first two games of the series.

Playoff ready, Gray was in the proverbial rocking chair during this start. It was the ninth time in his last 10 starts completing at least six innings and the Guardians barely threatened against him. An excellent finale to a stellar regular season, Gray finishes with a 2.72 ERA, 149 strikeouts, and 46 walks across 169 innings. The next time he’ll take the mound will be in the Bronx against the Yankees in the Wild Card round.

Gray struck out six batters in the contest while issuing three free passes. He served up a solo homer to Josh Jung in the opening inning, then allowed the Rangers to scratch out a pair of runs in the second inning. He kept them off the board the rest of the way though, affording his club the opportunity to come back. Gray generated 16 swings and misses on 102 offerings in the game — six on his sweeper — while posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll head into his final start of the regular season against the Guardians on Wednesday with a 17-5 record, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 146/45 K/BB ratio over 163 innings on the season.

Gray allowed a leadoff double to Carter Jensen to start the game, with Jensen coming around to score on a two-out RBI single by Salvador Perez two batters later. Gray would get out of the inning and pitch a scoreless second inning, but gave up two more runs in the third inning on an RBI double by Carter Jensen and an RBI single by Vinnie Pasquantino later in the inning. Gray wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the night, but the damage had been done, and the Red Sox couldn’t muster enough run support to pick up the much-needed win. Gray will hope for better results in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday on the road against the Rangers.

The Red Sox have some extra flexibility with off days coming up Thursday and Monday. Gray got to pitch on nine days’ rest last time through. Now, Suarez, who pitched seven scoreless innings against Baltimore last time out, will get eight days in between starts, with Gray working on five days’ rest.

The nine days’ rest did Gray well on Saturday as he dominated the Orioles over seven shutout innings on his way to a win. He scattered just three hits and issued three walks while collecting seven strikeouts. The 36-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.69 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 135/40 K/BB ratio across 150 2/3 innings. He’s currently lined up for a start against the Royals in Boston on Friday.

Gray’s velocity was down slightly last Wednesday against the Marlins, and while the Red Sox aren’t committing to a specific injury here, they’re giving him several extra days between starts. The Red Sox figure to call up someone to replace him Tuesday when rosters expand, though they’re lacking options.

The swings-and-misses were certainly there for Gray in this start. He forced 15 whiffs in total with at least one coming against all six of his pitches, multiple with four, and six total off his sweeper. On the other hand, his cutter was hit incredibly hard – three of the four put in play off it were hard-hit – and he had to scrap that pitch after a few innings. That forced him to chase those whiffs more, led to a bit of inefficiency, and was partially why he only lasted five innings. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Mariners and Orioles.

Gray racked up six strikeouts on the evening while issuing a pair of free passes. The Giants scratched out a run against him in the third inning, then added three more in the fourth on back-to-back homers from Drew Gilbert and Rafael Devers. Gray buckled down after that though and kept them off the board the rest of his night. He got nine swings and misses on 97 pitches on the evening, registering a CSW of 26 percent. Now 16-3 on the year, he’ll carry a stellar 2.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 123/36 K/BB ratio (138 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Marlins in Miami.