Gray (7-12) took the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings against the Pirates. He struck out 10 and did not walk a batter.
The right-hander struck out six of the first 10 batters he faced but was victimized twice by long balls, while Washington's offense was getting shut down by Mitch Keller. It was just the second time in Gray's last seven starts that he made it through six frames, while the 10 strikeouts marked his season high. However, he has lost his last four decisions and six of his last seven overall (spanning 11 starts).