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Recently, the Oakland Athletics‘ No. 1 starter, Sonny Gray, has not been as dependable as he was last year. Even though he has a 4-0 winning record, it’s been pure luck that he has won some of those games. He may be able to strike out batters, but his inconsistency this season is becoming an issue.
During his outing against the Texas Rangers on May 3, Gray walked a record high seven batters. Amazingly, he still struck out 10 and allowed zero runs. Even though he earned the win, Sonny was not consistent, especially in his pitch location.
Last night against the Seattle Mariners, Gray’s pitching was also slightly erratic. He allowed one earned run, six hits and walked two. Gray also had a handful of wild pitches, but thankfully Stephen Vogt was able to block them effectively, so not too much damage was done. Gray was able to strike out nine batters.
Unfortunately for Gray, this is not a good sign of things to come. With the Athletics having committed the most errors in the MLB this season and the bullpen blowing so many leads, he cannot truly depend on his teammates to help him win a game. Gray needs to be able to count on himself in order to continue earning Ws.
Sooner or later, Gray’s luck will run out and he will have to fix this inconsistency issue. Additionally, in the coming months, Oakland will be relying on Gray more than ever to be strong, precise and dependable. With Scott Kazmir most likely being dealt before the trade deadline, and with Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin possibly having incurred setbacks in their Tommy John rehabilitation, Gray will be the lone ace in the starting rotation.
Samantha Riley is an Oakland Athletics writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow her on twitter @Riless22.
