Gray set for Yankees debut against Indians (Aug 03, 2017)
CLEVELAND -- Sonny Gray will make his Yankees debut Thursday night when New York visits Cleveland for the opener of a four-game series. It will be the first meeting of the year between the Indians and the Yankees.
Both teams arrived in Cleveland on Wednesday night slightly water-logged. The Yankees' game against Detroit was delayed two times for a total of more than 4 1/2 hours before the Tigers prevailed 2-0.
Cleveland's game in Boston was postponed after a rain delay of more than two hours from its scheduled start.
The first game of the four-game series in Cleveland features a marquee pitching matchup: Gray vs. former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.
Gray will be making his Yankees debut after being acquired by New York in a trade deadline deal with Oakland on Monday.
"I couldn't be happier with the way it all played out," Gray said. "When they told me I was traded to the Yankees, I had a big smile on my face."
In 16 starts for the A's this year, two of them against Cleveland, Gray was 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA. He was 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA in his two starts against the Indians. In seven career starts vs. Cleveland, Gray is 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA.
The 27-year-old right-hander has been looking forward to his first start as a Yankee since he joined the team on Monday.
"Every kid wants to play for the Yankees," Gray said. "Thursday can't get here fast enough for me. I want to start contributing."
Gray will be facing a banged-up Indians team. Since the All-Star break, the Indians have played without second baseman Jason Kipnis (hamstring) and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (calf), both of whom are on the disabled list.
On Monday, the Indians placed pitcher Josh Tomlin on the DL with a hamstring strain and on Wednesday they put bullpen star Andrew Miller on the DL with patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
Tomlin is expected to be sidelined six weeks. The Indians hope Miller can return in 10 days.
"We're going to get tested now," Indians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. "You can either moan about it or you can kind of choose to feel like this is our time to shine. I think we'll choose the latter."
The Indians have ridden a roller coaster since the All-Star break. They lost five of their first six games coming out of the break, then won nine in a row before losing their last three games.
However, they will have their stopper on the mound against the Yankees. Kluber (8-3, 2.90) has been as good as any pitcher in the majors for the last two months. After spending most of May on the DL with a lower back strain, he was activated June 1.
In 11 starts since coming off the DL, Kluber is 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA. In those 11 starts, he has averaged 14 strikeouts per nine innings (120 strikeouts and 14 walks in 77 1/3 innings) while holding opposing teams to a .179 batting average, a .224 on-base percentage and .275 slugging percentage.
In two starts against the Yankees last year, Kluber was 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. In five career starts against New York, he is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA.
