Gray can’t find groove as start mirrors season

OAKLAND — Sonny Gray allowed seven runs in a start for the fourth time this year in Thursday’s 7-3 loss to the Rays. Yet again, Gray stood before his locker following a poor start, answering questions about what’s gone wrong.

Gray has nine losses and his ERA sits at 5.49 through 18 starts. Despite having what manager Bob Melvin and catcher Stephen Vogt insisted was his best breaking ball of the year, Gray again wavered in the middle innings.

“I feel good,” Gray said. “It’s been obviously tough mentally, but before tonight I felt like there were quite a few positives in a row, then you take a giant step back. It is tough mentally sometimes, but you just gotta continue to battle through it.”

Thursday’s start mirrored Gray’s season — a mixture of struggles, a few positives and a splash of bad luck.

The Rays tagged Gray for a run in the first inning and two subsequent solo homers from Tim Beckham and Corey Dickerson in the second and fourth, respectively. In between those two homers, Gray struck out four straight batters, unleashing a formidable slider as his putout …

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