{"id":681,"date":"2026-05-19T06:33:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T06:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=681"},"modified":"2026-05-19T06:33:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T06:33:20","slug":"sonny-grays-arm-willson-contrerass-bat-all-red-sox-need-for-3-1-win-over-royals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=681","title":{"rendered":"Sonny Gray\u2019s arm, Willson Contreras\u2019s bat all Red Sox need for 3-1 win over Royals"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 For the run-starved Red Sox, starting pitchers cannot ease into outings. And so it was that Sonny Gray arrived at a pivotal sequence in the bottom of the second inning of a scoreless game Monday night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=679\">Alabamans to choose nominees for US Senate as voting maps in flux<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>A hit batter and double put Royals runners on second and third with one out. For a Sox squad that is 4-20 when their opponent scores first, the stakes were high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThat\u2019s a situation where you need a punchout,\u201d said Gray. \u201cYou don\u2019t want a ball in play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Earlier this year, Gray couldn\u2019t meet such moments. Over his first six starts, he totaled just 15 strikeouts across 28 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But in his last two outings, the 36-year-old righthander has resumed his pitching sorcery, unleashing an array of bat-repelling offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Roman Anthony suffers setback, feels soreness in wrist<\/div>\n<p><span>In that key moment, he flummoxed Isaac Collins on three pitches \u2014 curveball (called strike), cutter (foul), sinker (called strike) \u2014 for the needed strikeout and then retired the next batter to strand both runners, a key sequence in the Sox\u2019 eventual 3-1 win over the Royals.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Gray\u2019s magnificent mix served as the basis of a season-high nine strikeouts. He held the Royals scoreless through six innings, allowing the offense to find daylight amidst the familiar clouds of futility (not to mention storm clouds that forced the game\u2019s starting time to be moved up by 30 minutes).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c[Gray was] a master of his craft, using both sides of the plate, striking guys out swinging and looking,\u201d said Nick Sogard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gray\u2019s cause was aided by sharp Red Sox defense, including a diving grab of a liner by Sogard at third and, most significantly, Masataka Yoshida\u2019s first outfield assist since 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After a one-out, fifth-inning drive to left-center by Michael Massey ticked off the edge of Yoshida\u2019s glove for a double, he made up for it one play later. Yoshida, in his fourth start in left this year, raced to Kyle Isbel\u2019s ground single and fired to the plate, just in time to clip Massey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA turning point,\u201d said Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Indeed. A half-inning later, one on and one out, Willson Contreras capitalized on one of Royals starter Seth Lugo\u2019s lone mistakes of the night, a 91-mile-per-hour sinker that bisected the plate. Contreras launched the offering on a soaring journey beyond the bleachers in left-center and almost into the Kauffman Stadium fountains for a two-run homer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWillson\u2019s been one of the best hitters in this league for about 10 years. People might not realize that, but just look it up,\u201d said Gray, who played with Contreras in St. Louis in 2024 and 2025. \u201cI respect the crap out of him, and he\u2019s a really, really good player.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=677\">What to watch in Tuesday\u2019s primaries as Trump\u2019s endorsement is put to the test<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>The homer was the 10th of the season for Contreras, and marked his team-leading ninth go-ahead hit of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s fun to hit in a spot like that,\u201d said Contreras following his second game-winning homer in three games. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to work as hard as we can on the offensive side, and when a game like this happens, everybody feels good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>How do New England high school baseball prospects get discovered by MLB scouts?<\/div>\n<p><span>The Sox tacked on a run in the seventh when Connor Wong laced a double, advanced to third on a Sogard bunt single, and scored on Jarren Duran\u2019s sacrifice fly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gray wobbled in the seventh, issuing a leadoff four-pitch walk and then yielding a run-scoring double to Jac Caglianone, precipitating his removal from the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI got a little gassed there at the end. Not gonna lie,\u201d Gray said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But Justin Slaten ensured the Royals\u2019 insurgence went no further, striking out a pair in his inning of work. Gray thus emerged from the contest having allowed just one run in six-plus innings, continuing his career-long habit of defenestrating the Royals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 14 career starts against Kansas City, he has a 1.74 ERA, the lowest in major league history against the franchise by a pitcher with at least 10 career starts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In three starts since returning from the injured list, Gray has been brilliant, allowing two runs over 17 innings (1.06 ERA) with 17 strikeouts and four walks. In his last two outings, he\u2019s struck out 15 batters in 12 frames.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Garrett Whitlock delivered a scoreless eighth, and Aroldis Chapman followed with a zero in the ninth for his 11th save of 2026 and the 378th of his career, putting the lefthander in sole possession of 10th place on the all-time saves list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Sox have a 2.63 ERA in May, second best in baseball \u2014 enough to forge an 8-8 record despite an offense that has scored three or fewer runs in nine straight games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTo see our pitchers continue to go out there and do what they\u2019re doing is really outstanding,\u201d said Tracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=675\">Federal judge bans most arrests by federal agents in immigration courts in New York<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Red Sox righthander dropped his career ERA against the Royals to 1.74, the lowest in major league history by a pitcher with at least 10 starts against Kansas City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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