GLENDALE, Ariz. — The A’s made the obvious official on Wednesday when manager Bob Melvin said right-hander Sonny Gray would start the season opener April 4 against the Chicago White Sox at the Coliseum.
It’s assumed left-hander Chris Sale will start for the visitors, though the White Sox have not made that call official yet.
“I still haven’t told Sonny,” Melvin said. “I just assume he knows.”
Gray pitched three innings of one-run ball in his first spring start on Wednesday, and the A’s routed the White Sox 12-3.
Gray has started the opener each of the last two years, so he knew he would be back on the mound on opening day. On Wednesday, he even discussed facing the White Sox again in three and a half weeks, when the game counts.
“Maybe if it was a little deeper in spring training, it would be something that you don’t do,” Gray said. “But today I threw one slider and 35 fastballs. You are more or less working on yourself, working on you and not looking too much at who’s in the box.”
Gray’s percentage of fastballs normally would be smaller, but he’s at the point in the spring where getting fastball command is important. He threw some curves that he didn’t care for. In fact, he was so unhappy with his breaking ball that he went to the bullpen after he departed the game and threw 10 more pitches. He said he simulated facing two more hitters, focusing on the curve.
“I know Sonny didn’t feel comfortable, but the ball came out of his hand good,” catcher Josh Phegley said. “It can be hard to work on things in-game when you are as intense as Sonny. But we saved some stuff for opening day.”
And the White Sox didn’t see the good curve that Gray was able to recapture in the abbreviated bullpen session.
“I was thinking of going out and facing another hitter,” Gray said. “(But) I worked in the pen simulating facing a couple more batters. It’s not that unusual for the spring, especially early on. I just focused on that curve.”
Gray saw one old pal, Chicago infielder Brett Lawrie, who was with the A’s last year but was traded in the offseason.
“It’s always fun to see former teammates,” Gray said. “It was cool. I like Brett.”
All the more fun when he struck Lawrie out twice.
For more on the A’s, see John Hickey’s Inside the A’s blog at ibabuzz.com/athletics. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHickey3.
