Sonny Gray Dominates with 10 Strikeouts in Cardinals' 2-0 Win
ARLINGTON, Texas - Sonny Gray delivered a masterclass on the mound Saturday, striking out 10 batters while surrendering just four singles across seven innings, propelling the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 victory against the Texas Rangers.
In his 19th game with double-digit strikeouts, Gray, now in his 13th season, became the 10th active pitcher to reach 1,800 career strikeouts. The 35-year-old right-hander improved his record to 6-1, throwing 64 of his 91 pitches for strikes and issuing only one walk.
Ryan Helsley closed out the game, earning his 13th save in 15 opportunities, marking the Cardinals' seventh shutout of the season. Phil Maton took the mound in the eighth inning.
St. Louis showcased their ability to manufacture runs creatively, scoring without a hit after the second inning commenced with a home run. Willson Contreras initiated the action with a towering flyball near the left-field pole, which was initially ruled foul but later confirmed fair after a crew chief review. Following that, he walked, advanced to third on a wild pitch from Patrick Corbin (3-4), and ultimately scored on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.
In the fourth inning, Mason Winn ignited the offense with a double, later crossing home plate on a ground-rule double by Contreras that struck just fair down the left-field line before bouncing into the seats.
Corbin's performance included allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings of work.
After an impressive 11-1 victory on Friday night, Texas faced its eighth shutout of the season.
Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals made a standout play in the ninth inning, throwing out speedy No. 3 hitter Wyatt Langford for the second out, following two strikeouts by Helsley.
The Cardinals concluded May with a commendable 19-8 record, their best performance in that month since achieving a 20-7 record in 2013, the year they last reached the World Series.
Looking ahead, Jacob deGrom (4-2, 2.42 ERA), who has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts, is set to pitch for Texas in the series finale on Sunday. Eric Fedde (3-4) will take the mound for St. Louis.
