Sonny doesn’t lack swagger after strong spot start

All smiles after picking up a win in his spot start and hearing cheers in the Camden Yards crowd from traveling Yankee fans who have booed him heavily at Yankee Stadium, Sonny Gray did not sound much like a pitcher reeling from a demotion to the bullpen.

“I’m one of the best starting pitchers in this league and I truly believe that,” Gray said after going 6.1 scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 5-1 victory over the Orioles in the nightcap Saturday.

Whether or not you’re in agreement, it’s clear Gray (photo) is not lacking in confidence, despite his above-five ERA, and for at least one night he deserved that cockiness. And the Yankees need Gray’s confidence to return if he’s ever going to make a permanent comeback to the starting rotation, which Boone said was not in his immediate plans after just the one strong outing.

“He’ll probably go back into the bullpen, but obviously you see him being capable of something like that,” Boone said. “I’m sure it’s a role that continues to evolve.”

Still, Gray maintains that his goal is to be a starter again at some point.

“I think I’ve grown a lot in this last month as a pitcher and as a person, just being in the bullpen,” Gray said. “But ultimately I want to be a starter in this league.”

The last time Gray saw this bumbling Baltimore lineup, he gave up seven runs and was demoted to the bullpen.

But the right-hander, after three appearances out of the bullpen that were largely promising, picked himself up from that low point of his 2018 season and gave the Yankees 6.1 scoreless frames, striking out seven.

“If I can throw the ball like that I think I can get anybody out,” Gray said. “I know I can get anybody out.”

Boone’s decision to give Gray another chance to start against a team that is now 56 games under .500 paid dividends, injecting the pitcher with some confidence to be the dependable arm the Yankees thought they were getting when they dealt for him last season.

And they desperately need that to be so down the stretch, especially if the Bombers want to make a run in the playoffs — they’re now seven games behind the Red Sox in the AL East — when they will need multiple arms to give them five to six solid innings and hand the ball over to a dominant bullpen.

That was the precise formula Saturday night. The man nicknamed Pickles exited with one out in the seventh inning and couldn’t stop pacing in the Yankee dugout until Jonathan Holder had fanned consecutive batters to keep Gray in line for his first victory as a starter since July 26. Holder went 1.2 scoreless innings and handed the ball off to Tommy Kahnle, who gave up a run in the ninth before he was pulled. Dellin Betances came in to close out the victory.

After homering four times in the opener, the Yankees pieced together some runs in Game 2, in large part with the help of some Orioles misplays, which have been commonplace in this series. Three singles from the bottom of the Yankees lineup loaded the bases in the second inning, and Gleyber Torres scampered home on a wild pitch that catcher Caleb Joseph couldn’t handle.

Brett Gardner then hit a routine ground ball to first base and Austin Romine, who later hit a solo homer in the ninth inning to pad the Yankees’ lead, questionably took off for home. He should have been nailed at the plate, but Trey Mancini’s throw was well off line and Romine slid in safely to make it 3-0 Yankees.

Gray worked around trouble in the fourth, getting some help from shortstop Gleyber Torres, who seems to have no trouble making the tough plays. He slid to snag a hard grounder to his left, spun and fired to first to nail the fleet-footed Craig Gentry for the first out of the inning. Gray then gave up consecutive two-out hits to put runners at second and third, but he struck out Renato Nunez on a darting curveball to end the inning.

Though the Yankees swept the doubleheader, Greg Bird’s struggles at the plate continued. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and grounded into a double play in the eighth inning with one out and runners at the corners. With Luke Voit heating up, homering twice Friday night and going 1-for-3 in Game 1 Saturday, Bird has to be looking over his shoulder now.