Red Sox’ elder statesmen on the mound, Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman show there’s more than one way to get outs

On a team featuring a number of young, largely unproven players, Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman are the wise old men of the Red Sox.

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The 36-year-old Gray is in his 14th season and approaching 2,000 career innings. He threw six of his better ones against the Phillies on Wednesday night, allowing one run in a game the struggling Sox held on to win, 3-1.

Chapman, 38, got the final three outs for his ninth save this season and No. 376 for his career. That’s one away from tying Joe Nathan for 10th all-time.

Gray’s hardest fastball was 92.9 miles per hour. Chapman’s heater ranged between 94.1 and 99.8 m.p.h. But that’s one of the great things about baseball, seeing two players do the same job in completely different ways.

“Sonny has always been such a great pitcher,” Chapman said via a translator. “He loves the game, and I love watching him. It helps me for when it’s going to be my turn. He has very good command.”

On a night when three runs constituted an offensive outbreak for the Sox, it underscored how critical their pitching is this season.

With his team having lost three of its last four, Gray held the surging Phillies to one run on two hits over six innings. He struck out six with one walk and threw 53 of 78 pitches for strikes.

The only runner Gray allowed beyond first base was rookie Justin Crawford, who homered in the third inning. It was Crawford’s first homer at Fenway Park. His father, Carl, hit six home runs at Fenway during his torturous two seasons with the Sox from 2011-12.

Gray finished his outing by retiring nine of the final 10 batters he faced. He has allowed one run over 11 innings in two starts since coming off the injured list.

“Awesome, awesome,” interim manager Chad Tracy said.

Gray was pleased that with the 11 swing-and-misses he induced, in particular the six on breaking balls. He has averaged a healthy 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings in his career, but had only 4.8 through his first six starts with the Sox.

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“I feel like I left three out there, but to have one an inning, at least, at the minimum, feels more normal,” Gray said. “It’s something, honestly, I’ve been kind of digging into a little bit, because I strike people out and I haven’t been. Trying to find the ‘why’ of that, and I think I’m getting closer.

“The curveball was better tonight, for sure. I just spin the ball a lot. It’s just who I am, what I do. I want to strike more people out, and I think I’m getting closer to that.”

Gray spoke to reporters after the game while wearing a heated brace on his lower back.

“I’m OK,” he said.

But Gray also wore the device on his way out of the ballpark. Given his age and long career, perhaps that’s to be expected.

Whatever it takes to stay healthy. If the Red Sox are going to salvage the season, they need their veteran pitchers to show the way.

“We haven’t played our best baseball. There’s no secret . . . that’s a fact,” Gray said. “But I do believe in the guys in the locker room. I believe in the talent that we have in there. We just have to keep pushing forward, no matter what any outside [opinions are]. I 100-percent believe in all the guys in that locker room, and we just need to win as many games as we can and keep pushing forward. . . . Our time is coming.”

Chapman walked two in the ninth inning but struck out Alec Bohm with runners on second and third to end the game. It was only his second appearance in nine days. It was getting to a point where Chapman might have pitched regardless of the score, but he was grateful it was to secure a victory.

“I was glad I was able to do my job,” Chapman said. “We had a good night.”

In theory, the Sox would win the series on Thursday with Ranger Suarez facing his former team. But there’s steady rain in the forecast.

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In a season where little has come easily, what else would you expect?