Texas Rangers Starter Jon Gray Out to Limit Walks Against Astros

Jon Gray is still thinking about the three walks against the Chicago Cubs in his last start as he prepares for the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Jon Gray threw 100 pitches, nearly threw six full innings and got his first win of the 2023 season last Sunday as the Texas Rangers defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-2.

His assessment of his own performance made it sound like the game was much closer.

“Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t great,” Gray said.

It’s hard to determine if Gray is simply being a perfectionist or has a legitimate gripe about his second start. But he was clearly focused on one thing, and he’ll be looking for improvement in that area when he takes the mound for the Rangers (8-5) in the second of three games at the Houston Astros (6-8) on Saturday.

Texas won the series opener 6-2 on Friday night.

“What really ticks me off is the walks,” Gray said of that Chicago start. “I feel like I got away from attacking the zone for a little while. And the walks cost me.”

How can three walks cost you in a game you win by six runs?

Well, Gray’s first walk, given up to the Cody Bellinger, ended up costing Gray two runs. Two batters later Edwin Rios hit a home run to cut the Rangers’ lead to 4-2.

Gray’s second walk given up to Ian Happ, but it didn’t cost him a run. He got Bellinger to ground out softly, got Trey Mancini to fly out and avoided a repeat of the second inning by striking out Rios.

The last walk came in the sixth, and it nearly cost the Rangers dearly. That walk to Rios loaded the bases. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy pulled Gray for Will Smith and the reliever struck out Patrick Wisdom, ending the inning and keep the Cubs from making a game of it.

“Luckily the damage wasn’t too much,” Gray said. “I got picked up by the bullpen. And we put up a bunch of runs so you can’t ask for much more. I’m just a little upset about the walks.”

Gray’s start to the season — five walks in two appearances over 12 innings — puts him at 3.8 walks per nine innings. That’s at the high end of usual average for a season.

Gray’s rate has been as low as 2.4, which goes back to his 10-4 season in 2017 that included 20 starts. Before this season, it’s been as high as 3.5 in 2021 with the Colorado Rockies. He went 8-12.

If Gray is looking back at his start to last season, then the annoyance is understandable. He walked just three hitters in his first two starts. His rate in 2022 was 2.8.

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