Gray struck out four over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 5-0 Cactus League loss to the Padres, surrendering only one hit.
Gray's start belied the dominance that was to come, as he surrendered a leadoff double to Travis Jankowski. However, he then set down the next six men he faced, firing 19 of his 27 pitches for strikes. The ace of the A's staff refrained from throwing his slider, but showcased all of his other pitches, with his curveball and fastball particularly standing out. Now that he's officially out of the World Baseball Classic due to an insurance issue, Gray can fully focus on preparing for 2017, a season that he hopes will be nothing like a rocky 2016 campaign in which he endured two DL stints and racked up a career-worst 5.69 ERA. "He's come here on a mission this year," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I think for a lot of reasons there were some issues last year, but a healthy Sonny Gray is going to pitch well. [Today is] the type of stuff that we're used to seeing."