Sonny Gray was annoyed when he was pulled from his start after four innings and 79 pitches Thursday night, and he didn't hide his frustration in a lengthy dugout conversation with manager Rocco Baldelli.
Following an 8-4 loss to the Tigers at Target Field, Gray and Baldelli amicably agreed to continue the chat in the manager's office to clear the air.
"All I ask is maybe the opportunity to fight through it when it's not going well," said Gray, who exited with a two-run lead before Jovani Moran gave up three runs in the fifth inning and Jorge López surrendered three more in the ninth.
Gray labored through a 35-pitch fourth inning, though he nearly came out unscathed. When the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs, Gray induced a double play against Miguel Cabrera with a sinker at the bottom of the strike zone. After another walk, he struck out the No. 9 hitter, Jake Rogers, to end the inning in a seven-pitch at-bat.
In the dugout, Baldelli informed Gray he was turning to the bullpen for the fifth inning. Gray shook his head as he listened to Baldelli, then picked up his cap and glove before dropping them back on the bench. After pacing a couple of steps, Gray voiced his displeasure with the decision.
The four-inning outing matched Gray's shortest start of the year, his four walks tying a season high.
"I'm super competitive and when I don't have it, I still feel I can get a job done," Gray said. "That was all it was. There is nothing other than that."
Gray, who owns the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors (2.37), was pitching on an extra day of rest after Monday's off day, but Baldelli looked for his bullpen to cover 15 outs.