Gray (3-6) surrendered five hits, two earned runs and a walk over 7.2 innings in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Reds. He struck out four.
The 26-year-old put together his best outing since April 22, helping to silence the rumors of his season's demise, for at least one night. Gray was highly efficient in turning in his fifth quality start of the season, needing only 92 pitches to get through almost eight innings. Despite the loss, it was a highly encouraging effort for Gray, particularly against a dangerous offense in a hitter's ballpark. The right-hander now has given up only three earned runs over his last 12.2 innings, and will try to secure his first victory since that April 22 outing when he faces the Rangers next Wednesday.