Right-hander Sonny Gray is close to becoming the first Boston Red Sox pitcher since Rick Porcello in 2016 to win 20 games in a season.
Gray (16-3, 2.79 ERA), who is set to start against the host Miami Marlins in the series finale on Wednesday, is not afraid to talk about his quest to reach the 20-win milestone.
“If you want to get black and white about it, yeah, I think 20 wins is doable,” Gray told MassLive.com. “It’s a great short-term goal for me to have in late August and into September. It would be nice to chase, but it’s not going to be given to me. I have to commit to focusing on a daily basis.”
Gray, who is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in seven career appearances against the Marlins, is backed by a strong support system.
Closer Aroldis Chapman still throws gas at age 38, and he has 397 career saves, including 30 this season. It’s his 10th season with at least 30 saves.
“The durability part is special,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said of Chapman on Tuesday. “A guy his age still cranking it up to 100 mph and still available so much is impressive.”
Chapman, who was rested on Tuesday, should be ready to go on Wednesday as the Red Sox will try for a three-game sweep of the Marlins. A win would be Boston’s sixth consecutive victory.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Tracy also praised his catcher, Adley Rutschman, who was acquired from the Orioles on Aug. 3.
“He’s a great teammate,” Tracy said of Rutschman, who was the first overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. “He’s really great at taking an intense at-bat, and, when the inning is over, he puts on his catching gear and focuses on his pitcher and what he needs to do defensively.”
As for the Marlins, they will start the polar opposite of Gray as right-hander Ryan Gusto. He has yet to win a game for Miami, going a combined 0-6 with a 5.52 ERA since being acquired last year.
This year, Gusto is 0-3 with a 4.37 ERA. He has never faced Boston.
If Gusto doesn’t give Miami length on Wednesday, it will be tough for the Marlins, who used seven relievers in a 7-3 loss in 11 innings on Tuesday.
“We will have to see where some of these guys are,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of his relievers. “This whole homestand (has been taxing).”
A highlight for Miami on Tuesday was Heriberto Hernandez’s homer, his team-best and career-high 20th blast of the season.
“‘Bert’ is a presence in the box,” McCullough said. “He can hit fastballs. He can hit mistakes that spin in the zone. From the right side, his ability to provide power for us is really important.”
Another standout for Miami on Tuesday was third-string catcher Brian Navarreto, who won a 10-pitch battle to hit a sacrifice fly after fouling off six pitches. He also threw out speedy Eli White trying to steal second in the ninth inning. In addition, Navarreto had a sacrifice bunt.
“He’s a gamer,” McCullough said. “He made their pitchers work. He’s had some opportunities, and he has come through.”
–Field Level Media
