Sonny Gray’s 7 Shutout Innings Send Twins Past Tigers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sonny Gray was fully aware of the solid start the Minnesota Twins needed from him, with injuries piling up on their pitching staff.

He delivered a gem, showing just why the Twins were willing to part with their most recent first-round draft pick to get him.

Gray struck out a season-high 10 over seven sharp innings, carrying the Twins past the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Get our free mobile app

“He knew that this was something that we were all desiring right now from him, and it seemed to kind of fire him up and allow him to focus,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You can see that at times being a lot to handle when you know your team really needs you for something like that. I think he eats it up.”

Gray (2-1) allowed four hits and one walk in by far his best of six starts with his new team. The Twins, who are 23-8 since April 21, have won each of the last four games with Gray on the mound after he returned from a strained hamstring.

The Twins have surged out in front of the AL Central this season on the strength of their rotation depth, an improvement jump-started by the trade for Gray.

Minnesota is rolling and will try for their seventh consecutive victory Wednesday.

Dylan Bundy (3-2, 5.14 ERA) pitches for the Twins at home against Detroit, which is 3-15 in its last 18 games at Target Field. Bundy is set to make his seventh start this season in his careful return from COVID-19. He threw 54 pitches over three shutout innings on May 17, his first outing after a 13-day layoff.

The first-place Twins are 23-8 since April 21.

Wednesday's game begins with the first pitch at 12:10 PM on ESPN 102.3/AM 1000 KSOO.