Sonny Gray was "free and easy" according to manager David Bell after two scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Gary, who was delayed last spring with and aching elbow and pitched most of the season with baone chips in it, threw two painless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.
“I was excited for today,” Gray said. “I was trying to throw my fastball and just rip it the whole time. I checked a lot of boxes. I got my mind right I was able to compete. Today will start the five-day routine to get ready.”
The Reds led 2-0 when Gray left the game and 2-1 after fifth inning when the regulars left the field. With the help of former Reds minor leaguer, Jose Siri the Mariners took control of the last four innings and won the game 5-3. Siri was placed on waivers after the Reds signed Nick Castellanos and the Mariners grabbed him. He homered against Cody Reed and stole a base.
The big positive to take away from the game Is that Gray, who pitched through pain last year but got progressively better as the year went on, had surgery to remove bone chips a day after the season ended.
“They told me I could start throwing in six weeks but it was weird for a little while,” Gray said. It got super swollen and they had to take out this like f lubber or moving it around. Steveo, (Reds' trainer Steve Bauman) came to Nashville a couple times. I was doing physical therapy for awhile but I started throwing way early, three or four times a week, pick up a ball and play catch. Six weeks after the season, I felt good.”
He made all 31 of his starts. Gray (205) and Luis Castillo (226) are the first Reds teammates each to record at least 200 strikeouts in the same season Their strikeout ratios of 10.67 and 10.52 per nine innings, respectively. Gray and Houston's Justin Verlander were the only pitchers in the Major Leagues to make at least 30 starts andallow no more than four runs in any of them.
Gray progressed during the season in spite of his elbow problems. He had the lowest ERA of any Reds' pitcher with 0.71 in six starts with a 4-0 record, including three consecutive starts without allowing a run. He was 8-3 with a 1.99 ERA in his last 15 starts of the season.
Along with Castillo, Gray will be part of a promising rotation, including Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani. They will have an improved offense after the Reds' spent $165 million on free agents.
“We all want to be the best, knowing that we will make the guy to our left or the guy to our right be a little better,” Gray said. “We reinforcing each other with a little bit of pressure in a good way, a friendly competition way.”
Offensively, the Reds got production from free agent Nick Castellanos, who hit an RBI single. Christian Colon drove in Mike Moustakas, who walked. Alfredo Rodriguez' ground out allowed Narciso Crook to score.
Reds pitchers were good for the most part. Robert Stephenson, Tejay Antone and Vladimir Gutierrez pitched scoreless innings. Lucas Sims gave up three runs in an inning and 2/3. Reed allowed the home run to Siri. Michael Lorenzen allowed a run to score during his inning.
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