Athletics pitching prospect Sonny Gray allowed one run on four hits and two walks in nine innings Wednesday for Triple-A Sacramento, improving to 3-1. Gray struck out six and has 25 strikeouts in 31 innings.
Although he tossed a complete-game shutout last season for Double-A Midland, Gray called Wednesday's outing "the best start I've had in pro ball."
"I would say that my fastball was pretty efficient tonight and that, because they were being pretty aggressive, I was able to get ahead," he said, per MLB.com. "My changeup was really good and my curveball was there when I needed it. I was able to keep the fastball down and change speeds and get them to swing early in the count and get soft contact."
The 2011 first-round pick has a 2.61 ERA and .241 opponents' batting average. He has issued 12 walks, but he hasn't allowed a home run in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.