Who is the real Sonny Gray?
Will the real Sonny Gray please stand up? Is it the pitcher who carried a perfect game into the fifth inning, not even allowing a run until the eighth against Kansas City? Or is it the guy who totally imploded during his last start at Yankee Stadium, giving up five earned runs in three and two thirds innings against the Angels? I’m beginning to believe it’s the implosion machine.
After his latest nightmare on the mound, Gray told reporters, “I think my stuff was good. The results weren’t.” Yeah. No. His stuff didn’t look good. He was slow and plodding to the plate. He nibbled the corners with many of his pitches at the top of the zone. He even had his safety blanket/personal catcher Austin Romine behind the dish. Alas, Romine does not have the super powers to make Sonny Gray pitch well, especially at home.
Watching Gray pitch at the Stadium is like watching a train collision in slow motion. You know it’s going to end badly, but you keep watching, hoping against the inevitable outcome. In his six home starts, Gray is 2-2 with a 7.24 ERA. He’s looked very much the different pitcher. In fact, some of the Angels players who’ve faced him a lot during his days in Oakland were shocked by how hittable he was.
Gray was also atrocious in a 10-5 loss to his former club, the A’s, lasting only five. He gave up two home runs in the second inning, including a two-run, 429-foot bomb to center by Matt Chapman.
Yankee fans, I think we were sold a lemon. Initially, the trade didn’t look quite so bad. When the Yankees got Gray from Oakland last year, he had a 3.43 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. When he first donned the pinstripes, he was definitely the victim of poor run support, as his 2017 numbers with the Yankees were 3.72 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. But, you know, it’s the AL East where bandboxes are the norm. As for his postseason numbers, they were okay: 4.32 ERA with five runs allowed in 8.1 innings and a BA of .143.
I understood the Yankees needed pitching last year. They were trying to make their unexpected playoff run go deep. However, the guys traded to get him … so not worth it for a guy like Sonny Gray, who, let’s face it, benefitted from pitching in one of the league’s most cavernous ballparks. The Yankees sent Oakland prospects Jorge Mateo (shortstop), Dustin Fowler (center field) and right-hander James Kaprielian. Those are three really good players. It would have been nice to get someone back who was worth that haul.
Gray will be on the mound tonight in Camden Yards against the lowly Orioles. Any guesses as to which Sonny Gray shows up?
