OAKLAND — Before Sonny Gray’s scheduled start on Friday against the Cleveland Indians, reports of him being scratched due to an imminent trade surfaced on Twitter. It turned out to be an internet hoax, but his performance on the mound was no joke.
Gray, whose name continues to come up in trade rumors as the deadline approaches, dominated the defending American League champions, tossing six innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts as the A’s returned from the All-Star break with a 5-0 victory in front of 19,870 at the Coliseum.
After racking up five strikeouts, all swinging, in the first four innings, Gray then began to pitch to contact and allowed his defense to help him control his pitch count in order to extend his night by a couple of innings.