By Matthew T.F. Harrington

sfgate.com photo: Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray who was racked up for seven runs and hits by the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND, Calif. – One of Sonny Gray’s most memorable career moments came against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately for the A’s, the night wasn’t Friday night, but three years ago when he made his major league debut in relief against the Buccos. His most recent outing against the Steel City swingers was one the hurler will hope to forget.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (39-41) erased a 3-0 deficit, roughing Gray up to the tune of seven runs in a 7-3 come-from-behind win Friday night at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Entering the game winless since April 22^nd, Gray (3-7, 5.42 ERA) scattered seven hits and runs over six innings to take the loss. Marcus Semien hit a two-run homerun for the A’s (35-45) and Jed Lowrie knocked in a run, but Oakland only mustered one hit in the final seven innings against starter Jeff Locke and the Bucs bullpen.

“We’re going to have to try a little harder to get him the win when he pitches well,” said A’s Manager Bob Melvin. “A lot of times, if you’re pitching in close games, you’re not getting the win. It’s about keeping your team in it to win the game.”

The 26-year-old appeared to be turning a corner after returning from a disabled list stint June 5^th. Over his last two starts he had allowed three runs over 12 innings. The young star lowered his earned run average .54 points during that span, starting to turn around an otherwise forgettable season. In the five starts since coming off the DL, Gray had allowed two runs or less in four entering Friday.

“This hasn’t been his best year,” said Melvin. “He’ll figure it out. He’ll get better as the year goes on. But there’s always going to be a year that’s not as good as other years. So far this is the one. He’s been good for us.”

The game opened on a similarly promising vein for Gray, with the righty mowing the Pirates down in order to open the game. Marcus Semien continued his All-Star worthy season in the bottom of the frame, staking Gray to a 2-0 lead after taking Pirates starter Jeff Locke deep with leadoff man Jed Lowrie on base. Semien fought back from a 1-2 count, fouling off six pitches before launching his 17^th homer, marking 10 straight games with at least one homer for the Athletics.

“He keeps getting better and better,” said Melvin of Semien. “His production keeps going up and up. Hopefully that merits some (All-Star) consideration going forward. You can’t ignore the numbers.”

After another perfect inning for Gray, the A’s added another run in the bottom of the inning on a pair of two-out hits. Yonder Alonso beat the shift, bunting down the first base line, then came home from first on Lowrie’s double for a 3-0 lead.

After two flawless innings, the floor suddenly fell out from underneath Gray. Jody Mercer hit a solo home run on a 94 mile-per-hour fastball high and tight in the third, then an inning later Andrew McCutchen scored after doubling and coming around on a wild pitch. The wild pitch was Gray’s 13^th of the season, the most in the league.

“He gets chases on hard breaking balls down,” said Melvin. “He’s going to have his share of wild pitches. He’s going to be tough to block. His breaking ball looks like his fastball hard and down. He’ll bounce a few.”

The Pirates major damage came in the fifth and sixth innings, with Pittsburgh plating five runs between the two frames. Matt Joyce and Josh Harrison opened the fifth up with back-to-back singles, then Mercer picked up his second RBI of the game with a third single bagger. Chris Stewart bounced into a fielder’s choice that brought in a run and added to Pittsburgh’s advantage 5-3.

“The ball crept up in the zone,” said Melvin of Gray’s struggles. “Early on the ball was down. There’s a lot of movement when the ball is down.”

Gray returned to form to open the sixth, inducing ground outs from Gregory Polanco and McCutchen for two quick outs. He slipped against Gray. Starling Marte, plunking the Pirates left fielder for the free bag then issued another free pass to David Freese. Joyce brought Marte around on a two-out single, then was brought home himself along with Freese on Harrison’s two-run double. Gray got Mercer to end the inning, but found himself in a 7-3 hole after six innings. He would depart the game, exiting with seven earned runs allowed on seven hits.

“This was obviously not a very good start,” said Gray. “There in the sixth I got two quick outs, I have to be able to shut that inning down and get back out there for the seventh.”

While Gray started out strong, Locke (8-5, 5.13 ERA) looked to be the one on his way to an early shower Friday. He reversed his fortunes after allowing the three runs over the first six outs, allowing only two A’s base runners on no hits over the next three innings.

“He wasn’t throwing many strikes early on with his fastball,” said Melvin. “With his changeup he was. Then he started to locate his fastball a little better. It was basically fastball-changeup with a few breaking balls.”

The Pirates bullpen yielded just one hit, a single to Jake Smolinski over the next four innings to close the door and take game one of the series.

While Gray’s struggles have been at the top of the list for the A’s rotation issues along with a spattering of injuries, Rich Hill was the bright spot early in the season. He leads the team in wins above replacement with 2.0 even after not making an appearance since May 29^th and sports a 2.25 ERA. The veteran southpaw returns to the mound Saturday night, squaring off against righty Chad Kuhl, a rookie making just his second appearance (both starts) in his major league career.