Reds’ Gray disappointed with season
On the first day of the rest of the season after the Cincinnati Reds were eliminated from playing in the postseason, Sonny Gray lasted 4 2/3 innings in his final start of the year, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks, the most runs he’s given up in an outing since July 25.
It was that type of night for the Reds in their 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. They finished with a losing record (9-11) in interleague play for the eighth consecutive season.
“I play this game to go to the postseason, so it’s disappointing finishing like this,” Gray said. “I hate – hate is a strong word – I don’t really like playing meaningless baseball. I guess baseball is not meaningless because you always have some individual things you can go for and this and that, but I just don’t like ending the season.”
In a way, Wednesday’s start encapsulated Gray’s up-and-down season. Gray had three stints on the injured list and posted his highest ERA (4.19) in his three seasons with the Reds. There were stretches where he looked like the two-time All-star version of himself and other stretches where he failed to pitch deep into games and struggled to prevent big innings.
“I would say very average,” said Gray when he was asked to evaluate his season. “Some good, some bad. Overall, just kind of average.”
Gray had weeks where he was trying to pitch through discomfort and other weeks where he tried to reinvent the way he pitched on the fly. In addition to the slider hitters chase out of the strike zone, Gray began throwing another slider that moved like a cutter designed to induce weak contact early in counts against right-handed batters.
“I had to really sit down for a second this year, take a look in the mirror and kind of go for it, and that was fun,” Gray said. “I’m happy and healthy, and I’m moving forward with a good attitude. There’s room for a lot of improvement for me next year, and I look forward to making it.”
At 31 years old, Gray constantly spoke with pitching coach Derek Johnson about ways he can improve deeper into his career. He’s always been known as one of the top spin pitchers in the league and it’s possible some of his injuries were a result of that.
“I think it’s been a season of adjustments and growth, even at this stage of his career,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He’s talked about finding new ways to be successful, just to keep getting better because he’s smart enough to realize you have to keep getting better to stay in the league, especially as you get a little bit older. He has a lot of years left ahead of him and he wants to be great.”