Gray struggles as Sox are shut out by Abel, Twins

MINNEAPOLIS – By building what they believed could be their best starting rotation in years, the Red Sox were confident that some pressure would be reduced on ace Garrett Crochet.

And while that still could be the case over the course of a long baseball season, veteran trade acquisition Sonny Gray was unable to pick up Crochet in a 6-0 defeat on Tuesday night at Target Field.

For a master craftsman and ultimate competitor like Gray, it was a tough outcome to endure.

“I felt OK, and then I just couldn’t focus as well as I needed to,” said Gray. “The ball was coming out of my hand OK. Just wasn’t able to put us in a position to win, which I feel like is the job of a starting pitcher, and they just beat me. They beat us. I don’t like that.”

Gray blamed himself for a first-inning balk that helped lead to a run, which he said was due to PitchCom issues that he should have dealt with more proactively.

“I couldn’t hear the PitchCom. Not to make excuses. I just kept trying to adjust it with my hat instead of just me calling time and saying, ‘I can’t hear, I need to change this.’ I was coming set, and I was like, I don’t know what the pitch is,” said Gray. “So then I stepped off, but I guess I stepped off before I fully came set. Just a ridiculous, unacceptable thing.”

The offense also went into silent mode against Twins starter Mick Abel. It was the first time Boston has been shut out this season.

It has been tough sledding for the Red Sox, who are 6-11. But they actually arrived in Minneapolis with momentum, having won four of their previous five, including two straight series.

Now they’ll try to win the finale of this frustrating three-game set at Target Field when rookie lefty Connolly Early, the club’s No. 3 prospect, takes the mound.

“It’s tough. Show up tomorrow and win the game and it’s a .500 trip, and then just go home,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “That’s the way you’ve got to see it. There's no other way. You know, obviously, we lost the series, but tomorrow if we win, it’s a 3-3 road trip, and then you go home and play better.”

That possibility wasn’t likely to allow Gray to have a restful sleep on Tuesday.

Picking up Crochet the few times he needs to be picked up is something Gray considers to be part of his job description.

“Absolutely,” Gray said. “I want to take pride in being able to go out there and give us the best chance that we can. Especially after last night’s game.”

While Gray at least kept the Red Sox within range in the first three innings, things got out of hand when the Twins tacked on three in the fourth to make it a 5-0 game.

“I just kept thinking in my head, ‘You’re one pitch away, make a pitch. You’re one pitch away, make a pitch.’ And I just wasn’t able to make that pitch,” said Gray. “I wasn’t good at all. They just made me pay.”

The Red Sox are now 0-11 when they don’t get a quality start and 6-0 when they do. Also, the Sox are 0-7 when the opponent scores first.

After Gray’s earlier-than-expected exit, righty Jack Anderson was called on for his Major League debut at 26 years old. He was summoned from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day due to Crochet’s abbreviated outing on Monday.

Anderson, with his wife and parents cheering him from the stands, struck out the side to start his night. He went three strong innings, allowing one run on a solo shot by Byron Buxton.

While Anderson was a lone bright spot for Boston, the club lost invaluable first baseman Willson Contreras in the bottom of the fifth due to low back tightness. With a day game looming on Wednesday and an off-day on Thursday, there’s a chance the Sox won’t see their key right-handed hitter until Friday night at Fenway.

“We'll see how he feels tomorrow morning,” said Cora. “[Trainer] Brandon [Henry] feels like it's nothing serious, but obviously, we have to be careful, right? He's so important to us, and we’ve got Thursday off, so we'll see how he feels tomorrow.”