Progress is being made, although it hasn’t reached its full potential yet.

During his third and most impressive performance of the season, Rangers starter Jon Gray conceded only one run, yielding three hits and a walk across five innings against the Oakland Athletics in a 1-0 defeat on Thursday at Globe Life Field.

However, for the second consecutive game, Gray experienced a noticeable decrease in fastball velocity compared to last year’s averages. In the 2023 season, the 32-year-old typically threw his fastball at an average speed of 95.7 mph, but on Thursday, it averaged 94.1 mph, with only four instances where it exceeded 95 mph. Similarly, against the Astros last Saturday, its average speed was just 94.3 mph.

Reflecting on Thursday’s performance, Gray expressed some optimism, stating, “I feel better about it.” However, he emphasized the importance of seeing his fastball velocity gradually increase, believing it would facilitate his overall performance.

Despite the velocity drop, Gray mentioned feeling “really good” and attributed the decline to the early stages of the season. To compensate for his slower fastball, he incorporated a higher proportion of off-speed pitches on Thursday, a strategy that proved effective.

Out of the 91 pitches thrown by Gray, 41 consisted of sliders, resulting in nine swings-and-misses and seven called strikes. Six of his nine strikeouts were achieved with sliders, while the remaining three came from two fastballs and a changeup. Additionally, Gray utilized his curveball seven times, landing it successfully for four called strikes.

Reflecting on his pitch selection, Gray commented, “It’ll be more of a mix now.” He indicated a plan to incorporate more curveballs than usual into his repertoire. However, he noted that the slider proved to be increasingly effective as the game progressed, prompting him to rely on it more frequently, with each successive pitch yielding better results.

In the first inning, Gray managed to strike out the entire Oakland side with just 12 pitches. However, left fielder Seth Brown spoiled his early dominance by hitting a 378-foot solo home run to right field on a changeup, accounting for the game’s sole run. Despite allowing a pair of two-out singles in the third inning, Gray navigated through the inning without conceding a run. Then, after issuing a leadoff walk to Lawrence Butler in the fifth, he bounced back with three consecutive strikeouts to conclude his outing.