Reds' Gray goes career-best six frames

After tossing five hitless innings on July 3, right-hander Josiah Gray was up and down in his next three starts.
On Friday, he was back on target.
The Reds' No. 21 prospect fired six scoreless innings -- his longest outing as a pro -- and gaveup two hits and a walk while tying his career high with six strikeouts in Rookie-level Greenville's 3-2 win over Pulaski at Pioneer Park.

Gameday box score
The 2018 supplemental second-round pick was coming off two starts in which he surrendered eight runs -- six earned -- over 8 1/3 innings. After totaling three walks in his first four Minor League outings, he walked four in his past two games.
Against the Yankees he was in control, perfect but for the second inning.
"He was able to get ahead in the count," Greeneville pitching coach Chad Cordero said. "His slider wasn't working early, it was backing up, and then whatever happened, it just clicked.
"The Yankees were very aggressive, and [Gray] was throwing his fastball in and out, up and down, and taking advantage of that."
The Le Moyne College product retired his first four hitters, then gave up singles to Carlos Tatis and Carlos Narvaez and walked Mickey Gasper to load the bases with one out in the second. He escaped by getting Juan De Leon to pop to third and Jordan Scott to hit a harmless fly to center.
Gray went on a dominant run, retiring his final 12 batters and recording all six of his strikeouts during that stretch. He threw 53 of 77 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 2.90.
"Ever since he signed, he's thrown a fastball, slider and changeup," said Cordero, the former big league closer. "The slider and change are works in progress, but the changeup has been one of his better pitches and the slider has come on of late."
The 20-year-old New Rochelle, New York, native did not figure in the decision as the Yankees tied the game, 2-2 in the top of the eighth. The Reds grabbed the lead for good in the bottom half when De Leon made an error in right field on Robert Boselli's fly ball, scoring Brian Rey, who had singled and stolen second.
Rylan Thomas contributed his eighth homer, a two-run blast that scored Rey.
Gray remains 1-1 after seven starts in his new organization. The righty got only one scholarship offer from a Division II school, but ended up excelling on the mound at Le Moyne.
Le Moyne coach Scott Cassidy recruited Gray as a shortstop, but he didn't see much time as a freshman and played summer ball in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. After splitting time on the mound and at short as a sophomore, he switched to pitching full-time in the elite Cape Cod League before his junior year.
It was on the Cape that Gray's stock skyrocketed. He had an offer from Wareham, but it was a partial-year deal. Chatham offered him a full deal just before the start of the summer season.
"It was a great realization that a team wanted me," he told MiLB.com earlier this month. "It was the best summer of my life. I emerged in that closer role, and that's really where scouts saw me against much better competition. I had somewhat of a chip on my shoulder as a guy from a small school. But I was up against guys from [big] Division I programs, and I was good, not to toot my own horn. But my play on the field has always done the talking."
Gray blossomed this year, ranking among Division II leaders with 11 wins and ranking third in the country with a 1.25 ERA.
Cordero acknowledged that Gray might have a chip on his shoulder about getting one college offer but saw the motivation in that.
"I think he wants to go out and prove he belongs in pro baseball," Cordero said. "Some of the very highly touted high school and college guys can be a little more difficult to coach because they're used to being told they're the greatest. A guy like JoJo, he wants to do everything he can to get better."
Connor Bennett (2-0) struck out three over 1 2/3 hitless innings for the win.