Sonny Gray talks Yankees pursuing starter, working for quick fix

Struggling Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray could be pitching to save his rotation spot on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 (7/11/18) against the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md. when he makes his last start before the All-Star break.

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BALTIMORE — Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray remembers being the bigshot starter brought in last summer to join an on-the-rise ballclub that was headed for postseason baseball.

Leaving small-market Oakland and an Athletics team that wasn’t contending for big-city New York and the Yankees was an exciting change for the 2015 All-Star who arrived being trumpeted as a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Almost a year later, the Yankees again are looking for starting pitching … this time possibly to replace Gray, who will take a 5-7 record and 5.85 ERA into his start Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles.

His thoughts on this development?

“If we bring in a starter that will help make us better, I’m all for it,” Gray said Tuesday before the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Orioles. “That’s kind of the Yankees’ way always to improve and always trying to be the best we can be.”

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The Yankees being the best they can be could mean demoting Gray to a long relief role … or perhaps getting him off the club in an addition by subtraction trade for anything.

Traded last summer for three top prospects, Gray was a disappointment for the Yankees for the final two months of the 2017 regular and during a long playoff run, and he’s been a lot worse this season.

His last two starts have been terrible. He allowed six runs over 2 1/3 innings in a home loss to the Boston Red Sox on June 30, then was roughed up for five runs in two innings last Friday in a road loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gray’s rotation spot now probably is on very thin ice. In fact, he perhaps will lose his spot if he doesn’t do well on Wednesday, his final start before the All-Star break.

He’s confident that he’ll be better. Besides faring well in his two previous starts against the O’s this season – Gray is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA, allowing four runs over 12 innings – he’s been tweaking his mechanics this week with guidance from pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

“We’re working on some stuff and hopefully it translates into the game,” Gray said. “It should allow me to drop the ball through the zone. I’m trying to create some plane with my fastball and some more vertical movement rather than moving lateral.

“I feel great. I’m just hoping to go out and have a good start. That’s all I can really do at this point.”

A good start would take a load of his mind during his four days off next week, which will be spent back home in Nashville with his pregnant wife, who is due in September, and three-year-old son.

“I have nothing planned except to enjoy being home,” Gray said. “I’m going to play with my boy. He’s funny.”

Gray first has unfinished business Wednesday night.

“I know the Orioles have struggled, but they have a lineup that could pretty much go off any night,” Gray said. “I plan to attack. Throw my numbers out the window and attack and hopefully start winning. We’ll see what happens.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.