Gray’s back improves, so he hopes to start Monday for A’s

Gray’s starts are the team’s best chances at victory, and his continued development and ascension to stardom has been one of the reasons why the Athletics aren’t worse than their 51-64 record indicates. That would’ve been Gray’s turn anyway had he not been scratched from Thursday’s start in Toronto.

Chavez pitched well but was done in by a four-run second inning keyed by Ryan Goins’ three-run homer while Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched into the eighth. He showed his promise a year ago, going 14-10 with a 3.08 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 219 innings, but this season, he’s proved to be one of the American League’s top arms. He’s been struggling lately but was impressive in his last outing, tossing seven innings against the Astros and allowing only one run.

“Just one pitch”, Chavez said. “Other than that he was great”.

A playoff berth is highly unlikely regardless of Gray’s status with Oakland now nine games back in the wild-card race. We’ll see how he feels in Baltimore, and we’ll get him in there when we feel it’s the proper time to get him in there, but at this point, not sure.

Gray is a significant pitcher for the Athletics.

“Freaked out more than anything”, Gray said of his reaction.

He also had seen him as an opponent in college.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I learned from Sonny is he goes out there man, he might throw 15 strikes in a row”. “But unfortunately for the group today we couldn’t do anything about it. Just one of those things”.

“I played against him when he was at Vanderbilt and I was at Mississippi State”, Graveman said. If you don’t he does what he usually does.