Gray's adjustment pays dividends in second strong outing

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For Josiah Gray and his delivery, it may be all about keeping it simple.

The righty turned in another solid outing Saturday afternoon at JetBlue Park, surrendering one earned run over three innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out five (four swinging) in the Nationals' 4-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Since embracing a shortened and modified delivery instead of a usual windup toward the end of last season, the 26-year-old has found himself to be as solid as they come.

In September 2023, Gray tossed aside a usual full-length windup, opting for a shortened, side-step start to his delivery. That month, he posted a sub-three ERA over four starts and held hitters to a .241 average.

Gray, an All-Star last year, said he’s kept that same delivery when not out of the stretch, and thus far in camp, it seems to be paying dividends.

When asked how he’s continuing to fine-tune his approach, Gray said it starts with the mechanical changes, and how he’s starting on the mound.

“I went to sort of an abbreviated stretch delivery, and I think focusing on the start of the delivery has allowed me to stay more stacked, stay more stable throughout the delivery, and really give myself a chance to throw strikes,” Gray said. “I think there were times last year where I’d be pitching well out of the stretch, and then go back to the windup and throw four balls in a row.

“I think putting in that work with the abbreviated delivery has been successful so far.”

Through two starts, Gray has given up just one run across five innings, coughing up just four hits and two walks while striking out 10. Also a positive sign -- he has yet to allow a home run.

“It always comes down to what you’re doing in the offseason,” Gray said. “For me, it was getting strong again, and kind of just feeling good with where I’m at with my mechanics.

“My bullpen [sessions] have been overly positive. I’ve never been a guy that's thrown really good bullpens. So I think it comes down to that first, and just having it show in games -- having that sort of trickle effect of throwing a good bullpen and having a good outing. A good bullpen doesn't always lead to a good outing, but it gives you that confidence that your stuff’s in the right place. I’ve had that so far, and look forward to keeping that going.”

Gray, who boasts a wide arsenal of pitches, had his fastball and cutter working especially well Saturday, as all five of his strikeouts came via one of the two pitches.

“Felt good from pitch one,” Gray said of his outing, in which he threw a total of 48 pitches (27 for strikes). “Maintained the fastball. Established the fastball. Finished a lot of good hitters with the fastball.

“Another good start. Definitely encouraged.”

Beyond establishing what has been a plus-fastball this spring for Gray, he said at the end of the day, it’s all about throwing strikes with each pitch, and going from there. The New York native, who has noticeably put on some muscle from last year, has struggled with command in his career, having led the NL in walks in a shortened 2022 season and finished fifth in the Majors in ‘23.

“Last year I leaned on my breaking balls heavy,” Gray said. “Those have been successful pitches for me, but now I want to establish that fastball, work on the changeup a lot, keep the cutter where it is and kind of just react to the hitters. Things have been good so far, but there’s always more work to be done.”

On how Gray has looked thus far in camp, manager Dave Martinez said: “It’s been really good. He did some things to clean up his mechanics a little bit. His director has been really good these first two outings. We’ve just got to keep it right there and continue to build him up. It’s a testament to how hard he worked this winter to get himself ready and work on some things we asked him to do.”

If Gray can take the good from last season, and there was a lot of good, and put away some of the location woes, he’s poised for a stellar season.

One thing the Nationals hope is his continued dominance on the road. Gray posted the second-best ERA across the Majors through the month of June last year at a 2.39 clip, and finished the year third overall in the National League (2.97).