Back spasms prevent A's Gray from facing off against Blue Jays
Perhaps Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray's accommodations in the Toronto area aren't up to par.
The right-hander, scheduled to pitch on Thursday against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, apparently woke up with back spasms and was scratched from his start, the A's announced.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle provided some updates regarding Gray's condition on Thursday morning, and it doesn't seem as if the setback will prevent Gray from making a start sometime relatively soon:
Sonny Gray scratched with back spasms #Athletics say. Chavez starting
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 13, 2015
Sort of a shame, had been looking forward to #Athletics ace facing that #BlueJays lineup.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 13, 2015
Jesse Chavez filled in for Gray on Thursday in the series finale in Toronto.
As Slusser added in some additional tweets, the A's weren't about to let their stud pitcher try to pitch through back pain - especially on the unforgiving surface that the Rogers Centre features:
Several #Athletics players told me yesterday that even with that slow new turf at Rogers Centre it still feels like playing on concrete.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 13, 2015
Though the A's have yet to announce a starter for Friday's game in Baltimore, Slusser did point to Barry Zito as a viable candidate, though the veteran doesn't seem as likely as someone along the lines of lefty Brad Mills:
My guess is that Brad Mills, who is scheduled for @nashvillesounds tomorrow night, would get call for #Athletics.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 13, 2015
