After bolstering their pitching rotation following a last-place finish in the NL Central, the Cardinals find themselves back at the bottom amid their weekend series against the New York Mets.
Much of the futility can be blamed on an aging lineup that’s struggling to put the ball in play, but the pitching staff has at least made steps in the right direction.
Sonny Gray, who will face the Mets on Saturday afternoon. has begun his Cardinals tenure as an early blip on the NL Cy Young radar.
He’s pitched nothing short of masterfully over the course of his three starts, striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings and projecting a 1.63 xERA.
Gray’s breaking balls have been acutely difficult to hit; his cutter has a 100 percent put-away rate when he has hitters in a hole.
The three-time All-Star has issued one walk through 17¹/₃ innings, which should challenge a Mets lineup that’s been making strides in reaching bases.
Adrian Houser attempts to redeem himself from a nightmare loss to the Dodgers in which he allowed eight runs in four innings.
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His erratic performances have produced a negative-seven pitching run value, leaving a starving Cardinals lineup that quietly possesses an above-average wRC+ some upside.
Gray is 3-0 and owns a 2.60 ERA in his career against the Mets; I think he’s in a favorable spot to further improve those numbers here.
The play: Cardinals (-134, FanDuel Sportsbook)
