The A’s starting pitching has been in a funk all year, and the man at the head of the class, Sonny Gray, continues to struggle in ways he’s never struggled before.
Gray was hammered for seven runs in five innings Thursday and other than one swing from center fielder Jake Smolinski the A’s offense was nowhere to be found in a series-opening 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
From the time he came up midway through 2013 through the end of the 2015 seasons, Gray had started 74 times for the A’s and had allowed seven runs just twice.