Coming off his best start in a decade, St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray will try to deliver another quality effort when he faces the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.
Gray will oppose Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, who will try to help Pittsburgh extend its season-best winning streak to six games.
Gray (8-2, 3.36 ERA) threw a one-hit shutout the last time he was on the mound, leading the Cardinals to a 5-0 road win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
The 35-year-old right-hander threw 89 pitches and struck out 11, allowing only a fifth-inning single after he had thrown 4 2/3 perfect innings. It was his first nine-inning complete game since Aug. 7, 2015, and his first shutout since July 28, 2015.
“I knew the innings were moving along and I did know I was perfect (into the fifth) and I made a good pitch there when the guy got the hit and I was fine with that,” Gray said. “The innings were going and going and I was trying to not think about it.
“At one point, I got mixed up and I didn’t know if I was through five or six. I was like, ‘Whatever, it doesn’t matter; just go out there and go throw.’ I did know when I went out for the ninth and that felt like just another inning, which was nice.”
Gray has dominated the Pirates this season, going 2-0 with an 0.75 ERA in two prior starts. He allowed one run in 12 combined innings while striking out 12 and walking one. In a start at Pittsburgh on April 8, Gray struck out four and allowed one run — a solo homer by Bryan Reynolds — over five innings.
In 13 career starts and one relief appearance against the Pirates, Gray is 7-4 with a 3.66 ERA.
St. Louis has yet to score in its first two games against Pittsburgh this week and has been shut out four times in its past seven games.
Keller, who has been the subject of trade speculation recently, will try to keep that trend going for the Pirates.
Keller (2-10, 3.90 ERA) finally snapped a personal 15-start winless drought on Friday when he recorded his first victory since March 28, pitching 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in a 9-1 home win over the New York Mets.
The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out four. The victory was the first in a stretch of four consecutive games in which the Pirates scored nine or more runs and won by seven or more.
Keller is 0-1 with a 2.03 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals this season. He threw 7 1/3 shutout innings, fanned six and walked one vs. St. Louis on April 9 in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates’ bats were quieted for seven innings Tuesday as they mustered only one hit against Andre Pallante. However, Pittsburgh produced the lone run needed in the eighth off reliever Phil Maton, as Henry Davis’ sacrifice fly produced a 1-0 victory.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes threw five innings, and three relievers completed the shutout.
“Winning is definitely more fun than losing,” Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz said after the win. “We’re starting to click. Everyone is doing their part, and as long as we continue to do that, hopefully we can continue winning games.”
–Field Level Media
