FORT MYERS, FLA. — Any question about whether Sonny Gray is ready to pitch in a regular-season game, despite facing only 12 major league hitters in Grapefruit League games, was answered by Gray's response to a suggestion the Twins might ask him to remain behind in Florida to pitch a simulated game after the team heads north this week.
"I ain't taking no later flight," Gray said emphatically.
Good thing, because Gray's start on Sunday also made it clear that he's well-prepared after just three weeks to start in Target Field. Gray faced 12 Orioles hitters and retired them all, half by strikeout and three others on soft ground balls. Meanwhile, Byron Buxton continued his spring hot streak with two more doubles, and the Twins won their fifth straight home game, 8-2 over Baltimore at Hammond Stadium.
Counting his three near-perfect innings against minor leaguers last week, Gray has faced 22 batters in games this spring and retired 21 of them.
"I felt good. It was really nice to get out in a game, in a big-league setting with the guys," said Gray, acquired three weeks ago in a trade with Cincinnati. "To be in the same dugout as them when we were all competing with a common goal together, it was nice to have that. It was a lot of fun."
It's been a lot of fun lately for Buxton, too, who has piled up eight hits, six of them for extra bases, in the past four games. He led off the game with a double off the center field wall for the Twins, and eventually scored when a pickoff throw from Baltimore catcher Robinson Chirinos hit him in the helmet as he dove into third base and rolled down the left field line.
One inning later, he doubled home Nick Gordon, raising his batting average to .433 in 11 games this spring.
BOXSCORE: Twins 8, Baltimore 2
The Twins face Boston on Monday at noon CDT, with the game televised on BSN.
