Jon Grays 12 strikeouts on Wednesday night seemed a little out of nowhere, given his season to that point. Was there some magic formula for the Texas Rangers right-hander? Or maybe it was losing the knee brace that set him free?On Wednesday, Gray didnt wear the knee brace on his left knee for the first time since he returned from the injured list in the middle of May. The brace was nece sary because when Gray returned for the first time in early May, he Christian Vazquez Jersey re-injured the knee. Gray admitted afterward that it was a freeing experience. Its much better, Gray said. I didnt realize until I got (the brace) off how much it was really holding me back.The three starts with the brace, starting on May 16 against the Los Angeles Angels, saw Gray give up 19 hits, 11 runs and six walks while striking out 17. He struggled Johnny Pesky Jersey with giving up baserunners and runs early in starts. , Gray came out of the gate by retiring the first eight hitters and went a season-high seven innings. He gave up three hits, one run, two walks and struck out 12. Grays start falls in line with that the Rangers have done in the past couple of weeks as a starting rotation. Grays start capped a stretch in which Rangers starters went at least six innings in 11 of 14 games, dating back to May 18. From May 25 to June 1, Rangers starters went 6-2 with a 2.42 earned run average to drop the rotations overall ERA from 4.41 to a season-low 4.01. nudged the rotations ERA up a bit. But the rotations performance in May, , is part of the reason the Rangers finally over Tampa Bay. Scroll to ContinueIts been fun to watch and its really cool to be a part of, Gray said. Weve been playing better baseball. And, Luis Tiant Jersey I mean, I dont think were at our peak yet. I think were just starting to get going. Were playing close ballgames. Were beating good teams. So were heading in the right direction.While Prezs performance has been off the charts and was a bit unexpected, Wednesdays performance was more in line with what the Rangers were expecting from Gray when they signed the former first-round pick to a in December. But, like the rest of the rotation, Gray started slowly. He made Mookie Betts Jersey just two starts in April, thanks in part of the knee injury, and went 0-1 and gave up at least three runs in each game. When he returned on May 3 against Philadelphia, he was able to make two starts, with the latter coming against the New York Yankees on May 9. He threw 4 1/3 innings of scorele s baseball before he re-injured the knee, causing him to mi s his next start and leading to the use of the knee brace. And it wasnt a sleeve, either. It was the type of brace that you might see an offensive lineman wear. The decision to remove the brace was made during Grays bullpen se sion before his start, a se sion that Rangers manager Chris Woodward said coaches called electric. The electricity carried over to Wednesday, and Gray hopes it continues, sans brace. Yeah, I didnt feel a single thing ( Carl Yastrzemski Jersey in the knee after Wednesday), Gray said. I think Im done with it.