Gray gets lead but gives it up
For once, the Yankees actually gave Sonny Gray a comfortable lead. But the 27-year-old righty, for whom the team surrendered three minor-leaguers before the July 31 trade deadline, couldn’t hold it.
Gray’s wildness caught up to him in the fifth inning of the Bombers’ 9-6 loss to the Rays on Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Gray allowed six runs on six hits and walked five over 4.2 innings. He is 2-4 with a 4.58 ERA in six starts this September.
“I was kind of all over the place all night,” Gray said. “It just kind of caught up to me in the fifth.”
The Yankees had a 4-1 lead in the fifth. But Gray threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score while also giving up a tworun homer to Wilson Ramos that made it 5-4 Tampa Bay.
“It’s over with,” said Gray, who could be lined up to pitch Game 1 of the ALDS if the Yankees make it that far. “I struggled but the quicker I can put this behind me the quicker I can move on.”
Gray has a 3.72 ERA overall in 11 starts since the deal.
“I think he’s pitched pretty well for us,” Joe Girardi said. “We haven’t scored a lot of runs for him and tonight we got him some runs. I feel pretty good about him.”
Girardi, who has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to concede the AL East, was hoping to get six innings out of Gray. He then turned to Jonathan Holder to get the final out of the fifth, but the inexperienced righty reliever failed to retire any of the three hitters he faced before being booed off the mound.
Girardi said he did not have Dellin Betances or Chad Green available and didn’t want to use Tommy Kahnle for multiple innings. David Robertson is the team’s setup man while Aroldis Chapman is the closer and Adam Warren (back) won’t be activated until Friday.
The seven runs the Bombers surrendered in the fifth were the most they’ve allowed in a single inning since Aug. 16, 2016 vs. Toronto (eight).
WILD THINGS
The Twins will be starting Ervin Santana in the Tuesday AL wildcard game. The Bombers, who seem all but destined to play in that game, will presumably counter with Luis Severino.
Santana faced the Bombers on Sept. 18, allowing two runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings.
“We kind of expected that’s how it would line up,” Joe Girardi said before the game. “It’s a pitcher who has a lot of experience, who has played well this year and in the past. And he’s been in these playoff games.”
Greg Bird said he was fine despite fouling a ball off his back knee in the fifth. … Aaron Judge and Matt Holliday played catch with a football in the outfield before the game. Both were standouts on the gridiron in high school.