Gray continues run as Boston's stand-in ace with career-best 15th win

PITTSBURGH -- As a stat, pitching wins aren’t as indicative as they once were in baseball.

But there are exceptions. And Sonny Gray is proof of that in this, his first season with the Red Sox.

When the 36-year-old righty notched his career-high 15th victory on Saturday night while leading his club to a 4-0 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park, it was the latest example of the master craftsman delivering for his team in a big spot.

Gray (15-3, 2.65 ERA), working with a new batterymate for the first time in Trade Deadline acquisition Adley Rutschman, was in complete command, staving off the Bucs on a night Boston’s bats had trouble getting going. Over seven scoreless innings, Gray scattered six hits while walking one and striking out seven.

“Yeah, put up all zeroes,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “We needed length bad. He gave us length. A familiar story in a spot where we really needed it, and he gave it to us.”

On the heels of a 27-3 run -- the best 30-game stretch in Red Sox history -- Tracy’s team entered Saturday in a 1-6 skid.

With Gray’s outing the official start of the countdown for Boston’s final 40 games of the season, the Red Sox had no interest in reverting to their early-season struggles.

Garrett Crochet, the ace who all but willed the Red Sox to their first postseason appearance since 2021 last season, has missed most of this one with left shoulder inflammation.

That has thrust Gray into the role of stopper, and he has been up to every bit of the challenge for the Sox (66-57).

“I'm just trying to be myself. I'm not trying to be anyone other than who I am,” said Gray. “Obviously, Garrett is very missed. I mean, he’s an electric guy, just his personality. He's a dude, right? I do know, there's moments like tonight, when you need to go out and win a baseball game."

Staked to a 1-0 lead on Wilyer Abreu's solo shot in the second, Gray stingily made sure it stood up. Abreu later added two doubles.

When the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, Gray buckled down to strike out frequent Red Sox tormenter Brandon Lowe on a 2-2 sweeper.

“I felt in control throughout that whole time,” said Gray. “I didn't let it speed up. I continued to keep the same presence. We had a plan to attack that guy, but also knew and felt like it was the right time to do a little something different. I still felt under control throughout that process.”

And with his trusty new backstop, Gray didn’t miss a beat.

“It felt like we had been working together forever,” said Gray. “There were a few different things that we did, which was nice. He's a good player. No, he's a great player. There's no ifs, ands or buts about that. He was engaged throughout. I'm glad he's here.”

Behind Gray, the Red Sox pushed to within two games of the Yankees for the top AL Wild Card spot.

It’s hard to imagine they’d be anywhere close to that position without their stand-in ace.

“When you lose Garrett, who obviously went into the season as the ace of the staff, and you lose that, and what Sonny has done as far as leading our rotation, you cannot understate how important that's been, especially with some rookies in there,” Tracy said.

While Gray was the focal point, here are some other key takeaways from Saturday:

1. Abreu equals career high in homers
Not only did Abreu stake Gray to that slight lead, but it was his 22nd homer of the season, equaling his career high. For good measure, Abreu, a notoriously streaky hitter, continued his recent heater with a pair of doubles, the latter of which set up a three-run rally in the ninth.

In his past 12 games, Abreu has a line of .390/.491/.951 with six homers and 12 RBIs.

2. Miller key eighth
After Gray departed, Tracy went to recently acquired setup man Erik Miller in the eighth, with his team still clinging to a 1-0 lead. The hard-throwing lefty got through the inning on just 11 pitches, eight of them for strikes.

In his first four outings for Boston, Miller has allowed just one unearned run, while walking just one and striking out nine.

3. Monasterio opens it up
Andruw Monasterio got his latest big hit for the Red Sox in the ninth inning on Saturday, bashing a two-run double into the gap in left-center that created some breathing room for closer Aroldis Chapman. Jahmai Jones added an RBI single to make it a 4-0 lead.

A utility player for the first half of the season, Monasterio got hot before the All-Star break and vaulted himself to the team’s primary shortstop.

“If you want to play in the big leagues, you have to be clutch,” said Monasterio. “When you get those moments, take advantage.”