CHICAGO – On the first day of the rest of the season after the Cincinnati Reds were eliminated from playing in the postseason, they totaled four hits and were one out from being shutout for the 10th time.
Sonny Gray lasted 4 2/3 innings in his final start of the year, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks, the most runs he’s given up in an outing since July 25.
It was that type of night for the Reds in their 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday in front of 23,018 fans at Guaranteed Rate Field. They finished with a losing record (9-11) in interleague play for the eighth consecutive season.
"I play this game to go to the postseason, so it's disappointing finishing like this," Gray said. "I hate – hate is a strong word – I don’t really like playing meaningless baseball. I guess baseball is not meaningless because you always have some individual things you can go for and this and that, but I just don’t like ending the season."
Gray didn’t allow a ball out of the infield to the first seven batters he faced, overpowering hitters with his slider and stunning left-handers with a two-seam fastball that tailed over the inside corner. Then White Sox rookie Gavin Sheets pulled an inside fastball over the right-field fence for a two-run homer in the third inning.
The White Sox added two more runs in the fourth inning with a pair of two-out RBI singles and another run scored in the fifth inning on a wild pitch.
In a way, Wednesday’s start encapsulated Gray’s up-and-down season. Gray had three stints on the injured list and posted his highest ERA (4.19) in his three seasons with the Reds. There were stretches where he looked like the two-time All-Star version of himself and other stretches where he failed to pitch deep into games and struggled to prevent big innings.
"I would say very average," said Gray when he was asked to evaluate his season. "Some good, some bad. Overall, just kind of average."
Gray had weeks where he was trying to pitch through discomfort and other weeks where he tried to reinvent the way he pitched on the fly. In addition to the slider hitters chase out of the strike zone, Gray began throwing another slider that moved like a cutter designed to induce weak contact early in counts against right-handed batters.
"I had to really sit down for a second this year, take a look in the mirror and kind of go for it, and that was fun," Gray said. "I’m happy and healthy, and I’m moving forward with a good attitude. There’s room for a lot of improvement for me next year, and I look forward to making it."
At 31 years old, Gray constantly spoke with pitching coach Derek Johnson about ways he can improve deeper into his career. He's always been known as one of the top spin pitchers in the league and it's possible some of his injuries were a result of that.
"I think it's been a season of adjustments and growth, even at this stage of his career," Reds manager David Bell said. "He's talked about finding new ways to be successful, just to keep getting better because he's smart enough to realize you have to keep getting better to stay in the league, especially as you get a little bit older. He has a lot of years left ahead of him and he wants to be great."
Gray was subject to trade rumors last winter, which frustrated him at times, and those could spark up again this offseason with one more season left on his contract, plus a club option in 2023.
A couple of hours after Gray walked off the mound for the final time this season, he wasn't ready to start thinking about the offseason.
"I have a plan and I have some things, whatever, but I hadn’t thought on it," Gray said. "I honestly got no clue. That time will come. It’s not right now for me. ... Clearly, I want to stay healthy. I want to throw more innings. There is a lot."
The Reds, who were without Joey Votto and Nick Castellanos in the lineup for their first game following their playoff elimination, didn't have a runner touch third base until Delino DeShields hit a two-out RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning.
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