In some ways, it just adds to the frustration.
The presence of a pitcher like Sonny Gray should represent a good chunk of what is good with a good team. Instead, it's simply a feather in the cap for a team that has way too many holes in its hat.
Gray is a success story for this Red Sox front office. But when the payoff for such an acquisition is potentially flipping the player at the trade deadline instead of thinking about images in October, such roster-building maneuvers lose a lot of luster.
While the future of Gray with the Red Sox remains uncertain due to an existence that has them six games out of a wild card spot, we do know this: no matter what the team is, this pitcher is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Gray kept making the Red Sox's decision to prioritize him this offseason look like a smart one, dominating the Rockies in Denver to the tune of giving up just one run over seven innings while striking out 11. He has now gone 7-09 with a 2.36 ERA in nine starts since returning from the injured list on May 6 (the most wins in the majors over that stretch).
This latest heater by Gray has always included him allowing three or fewer runs in 10 straight starts, his longest single-season streak since a 17-start streak in 2023.
"This place, if you give it an inch in your mental space, then it can start to take over," Gray told reporters after the Red Sox's 6-2 win over the Rockies. "Once you start making excuses, then it wears on you, and you lose your confidence. I’m tricking my mind into believing that it can do anything."
"[Gray] was exceptional," Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy also told the media after the win. "He's had a lot of good outings since we've been here, and that one ranked up there with 11 strikeouts. People talk a lot about the altitude, but he was able to spin the ball, got a lot of swing-and-misses on breaking balls below, and changeups. He was just really, really good."
While the Red Sox decision-makers whiffed on their self-professed need for more thump in the lineup - beyond replacing Alex Bregman with Willson Contreras - they did nail the other piece of their offseason puzzle, finding a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. In fact, thanks to the trade for Gray and the signing of Ranger Suarez, they doubled down on their approach and intent.
Both Gray and Suarez have made 14 starts, with each possessing ERAs of under 3.00. (Suarez sits with a 2.93 ERA, while Gray is at 2.95, with the lefty pitching just 1/3 innings more than the righty.)
As was highlighted by his performance at Coors Field, the separator for Gray has been how often the Red Sox have actually won when he takes the mound. In the 14 starts, the Red Sox have won 10 of them, now sharing the American League in wins (9) with Cleveland's Gavin Williams and Davis Martin of the White Sox.
Before the season, it would have been almost unfathomable to think that if Garrett Crochet were going to make just a combined 14 starts heading into July, carrying a collective ERA of 6.33, it wouldn't be at the top of the list of the Red Sox's problems. Those are, after all, the last two pitchers to start Opening Day for this club. But the unexpected issues with both pitchers aren't near the top of the list of what ails the Sox.
For that, a huge thanks goes to a pitcher who is doing his part to remain a Red Sox for the entirety of the season, Gray.
