Advertisement

Here's how Yankees can predict what Sonny Gray is throwing tonight in Minnesota

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

Chicago White Sox v Minnesota Twins / David Berding/GettyImages

In order to get off on the right foot this week in a road series against the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees will have to get past old friend Sonny Gray on Monday night.

You remember Gray, right? Was supposed to be the missing piece at the 2017 trade deadline? Kinda was, for a little while, before imploding the next season and begging out of the Bronx? Cost the Yankees Jorge Mateo, which didn't exactly matter for many years before he began to shine in Baltimore last summer and leveled up this season?

This year, Gray has been the best version of himself with the Twins, beginning the year in a Gerrit Cole-like trance. Through four starts, Gray has commanded all corners of the plate with a diverse pitch mix, posting an 0.82 ERA and striking out 26 men in 22 innings.

Can only go up from here, though! Right? ...Right?

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Yankees have struggled mightily offensively in recent weeks, scoring three runs or fewer in eight of their last 10 games. This deficiency dates back to before Giancarlo Stanton's injury, and goes far deeper than the slugger's absence. Willie Calhoun probably isn't providing the results the team envisioned, but that hasn't stopped him from batting fifth. Franchy Cordero already gave us more than we were expecting, but that's over, too.

How can the Yankees get off to the hot start they'll need to tonight, while keeping the pressure on Gray, who's been comfortable at his new digs? Thanks to this helpful breakdown, we can see that his behavior is a little more formulaic than his persona as a master magician lets on.

Yankees should expect two-strike sliders vs Twins RHP Sonny Gray

Luckily, the Yankees will only have to worry about the two-strike slider, considering they didn't have the foresight to add any left-handed bats this year. Kidding! Ha ha! Roster construction on point, we're just kidding.

The reeling Yankees offense will face a significant challenge this series in Minnesota, with both Gray and excellent young right-hander Joe Ryan set for the first two games of the set. Ryan, of course, shut down the Yankees just over a week ago for seven innings of three-run ball in what's otherwise become known as the Jhony Brito Game.

Hopefully, the Yankees don't let the weekend's offensive inactivity spiral, and instead reference the helpful flow chart above before they dig in against Gray in frigid Minneapolis.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.