St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray has been largely stellar in his first year with the team, but his slight struggles over his past three starts have held concerning signs for a Wild Card team.
Sonny Gray’s Past Three Starts Show Signs of Struggles
7/5 @ WSH – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 6 K
7/12 vs CHC – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 6 K
7/20 @ ATL – 7.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 10 K
How Bad has Gray struggled? The short answer is: not terribly. There are definite positive signs in these three games, including pitching deep against the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, and his 22 strikeouts through this stretch. However, beyond the stats, Gray has obviously struggled with his command in recent games, and his usually potent splitter has fallen flat on multiple occasions.
Roughed Up By the Braves
After his start against Atlanta, in which he gave up three solo homers in a rocky sixth inning, Gray’s ERA for the month of July sits at an even 6.00. While neither of the starts against Washington or Chicago seemed particularly troublesome, it became apparent that Gray’s first-half workload was taking its toll. Many hoped that the All-Star break would equate to a return to form for the Cardinals ace, but Gray’s continuing lack of sharpness against Atlanta signals trouble for a St. Louis team in the wild card hunt.
After a lead-off triple by Masyn Winn and a sac fly from the hot-hitting Alec Burleson, the Cardinals led Atlanta 1-0 in the top of the 1st. On Gray’s first pitch, he gave up a similar triple to slumping Braves lead-off hitter Jarred Kelenic. After an Ozzie Albies single scored Kelenic, Austin Riley sent a bomb just past the right-field foul pole, which was initially ruled a homer but was overturned upon review.
Austin Riley opposite field home run for the lead 🔥‼️#MLB #Braves
pic.twitter.com/pApIsjHkbf— Sports Nation (@Sports_Nation11) July 20, 2024
After this narrow miss, it seemed as though Gray had settled into second-half form. Apart from two singles and an, at this point unavoidable, solo blast by Marcell Ozuna, Gray’s stuff had its trademark effectiveness that had cemented him as the Cardinals ace in the first half of the season.
In the sixth, home runs by Riley, Ozuna, and Eddie Rosario brought the score to 6-5. Despite this, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol left Gray out for a 7th inning which proceeded relatively seamlessly, a positive sign going forward. While the Cardinals went on to win 9-5, a team that has struggled with offense for much of the season needs more out of its ace, especially considering the recent struggles of starters Lance Lynn and Miles Mikolas.
What’s the Rush?
As the trade deadline approaches, the Cardinals need to know exactly where they sit in regards to both the standings and their roster. While rumors surrounding acquiring a number-two starter have surfaced and Kyle Gibson‘s strong start against Atlanta brings positive signs, the streakiness of the Cards’ offense and the crowded nature of the NL Wild Card race require St. Louis to be confident in the top end of their rotation.
The Cardinals, were they to make the playoffs, would likely find themselves in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, a format which further requires an established and solid core of top-end pitching.
The Cardinals ace certainly has time to right his ship, and given the team’s lack of rotational depth in recent years, Gray’s entrance as the team’s top pitcher has provided a major sense of stability. Although his struggles have been relatively minor, Gray has certainly not seemed to be in top form. In order for the Cardinals to make a push at the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers (and hold off the surging New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Pittsburgh Pirates for the Wild Card) they will need their ace to quickly make whatever adjustments are necessary to return to the performance that has come to be expected of him.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
