Jon Gray Solid in Return, Rangers Top Angels
Jon Gray’s first start for the Texas Rangers since May 9 resulted in his longest outing of the season and helped the Rangers to a 6-4 lead through six innings on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Rangers won the game, 7-4, and Gray ended up with his first win of the season.
The right-hander threw for 5 2/3rd innings, besting his previous best of five innings in a start in April against Seattle.
It ended up being the kind of quality outing that the Rangers were hoping for when they signed him this offseason. But injuries limited him to four starts entering Monday’s game, and as a concession to his left knee strain, he threw with a bulky knee brace for the second time in three starts.
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Gray threw 89 pitches, 62 of which were for strikes. He gave up four runs (all earned) and eight hits while striking out eight and walking one.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward removed him from the game with two outs in the sixth inning after Gray gave up a two-out single to Tyler Wade, which put two Angels on base. Brock Burke retired Andrew Velazquez to protect Gray’s and the Rangers’ lead.
Gray had to shake off a slow start in the first inning. He gave up three straight hits to start the game — back-to-back singles by Taylor Ward and Mike Trout — followed by a double by Shohei Ohtani. His double scored Ward and move Trout to third to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Gray nearly escaped down 1-0, but after retiring the next two hitters, Brandon Marsh doubled home Trout and Ohtani to make it 3-0 Angels.
But, after a long break due to a six-run Rangers first inning, Gray settled in. By the end of the top of the third, Gray struck out four of the last seven Angels he had faced. He also didn’t give up a hit.
"I think his command was off (in the first)," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "He felt great physically. He was able to get to 90 pitches. That first inning ground ball in the hole, it was a good pitch and Trout and Ohtani hit it hard. I don't think it was that bad to give up three in the first and he settled down after that."
Gray relented a bit in the fourth, giving up an 0-2 single to Velazquez, which drove in Walsh to cut the Rangers’ lead to 6-4. By that point, Gray was closing in on 60 pitches. But he retired the next hitter, Ward, to end the fourth.
He didn’t give up his walk until the sixth inning when he issued a pass to Walsh to lead off the inning.
Gray signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason, making him the team’s prized free-agent pitching signing. Oddly enough, Monday was his first start at Globe Life Park this season.
Gray threw a bullpen session on Saturday without any issues and wore the knee brace that he’ll have to wear for the foreseeable future. He didn’t wear the brace in his last start against the New York Yankees and he reaggravated the injury just a bit.
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Gray entered Monday’s start with an 0-1 record 5.51 earned run average in 16 1/3rd innings.
Gray’s return comes after he suffered a blister and a low-grade left knee strain, which limited him to two starts in April — against Toronto on April 9 and against Seattle on April 19. Gray went 0-1 in those two starts and pitched nine combined innings.
Gray has two starts so far in May — at Philadelphia on May 3 and at the New York Yankees on May 9. He ended up with a no-decision in both games and wasn’t able to get out of the fifth inning in either contest.
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