ST. LOUIS — Ryan Helsley’s emphatic strikeout of Matt Chapman in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday afternoon sealed the St. Louis Cardinals’ three-game sweep over the San Francisco Giants. It also brought the Cardinals to a peak not yet seen this season.
With their 5-3 victory, St. Louis reached two games over .500 for the first time this year — something they did not accomplish in 2023. The Cardinals attacked Giants ace Logan Webb early, tagging him for four runs in the first two innings, and never looked back. Their style of play earned praise from manager Oli Marmol, who commended his ballclub for their aggression.
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“You look at this series, specifically today’s game, that’s the style of baseball this city subscribes to,” Marmol said. “We applied pressure non-stop. … If they gave us an edge, we took every bit of it. That’s the style of baseball we need to keep playing. If you look back at the last month, guys are pretty convicted about that style of ball.”
Eight strikeouts over seven innings from Sonny Gray today!#ForTheLou x @NationalPro pic.twitter.com/4AsjXo0gO6
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 23, 2024
The Cardinals have won eight of their last 11 games and have the best record in the National League (24-13) since May 12. They are in second place in the National League Central, five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, and have a one-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the second wild-card spot.
Slowly, the Cardinals are climbing their way back to relevancy. Let’s catch up on the week that was in Cardinals Land.
1. Sonny Gray continues to shove
After arguably his worst start as a Cardinal, Gray spoke with frustration about walking four and allowing three earned runs over 4 2/3 innings against the Colorado Rockies earlier in the month.
“Pitched like s—,” Gray said that day. “It’s a trend. Trending in the wrong direction. So you’ve got to come in, come up with a plan and get back on track.”
It’s safe to say Gray is indeed back on track. He threw 6 2/3 perfect frames on Sunday before surrendering a solo shot to Patrick Bailey in the seventh. It was the only hit he allowed in his third consecutive start lasting at least seven innings. Gray struck out eight en route to his ninth win of the year. Since his clunker against Colorado, Gray has allowed just four earned runs over 21 2/3 innings — a 1.66 ERA — with three walks and 21 strikeouts.
“There was definitely a mindset shift, but there’s also what I’m trying to do with the baseball, which is a little bit of a shift as well,” Gray said Sunday. “I’m not trying to manipulate it as much with certain things. I know I’m at my best when I do go on with that mindset. I’m going to continue down this road and not let it get away from me this time.”
Sonny Gray: 18 up/18 down. pic.twitter.com/fw4rxgqw4z
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 23, 2024
Gray dropped his ERA to 2.81 He’s already amassed 100 strikeouts despite being on a limited pitch count for much of April. He has been the type of front-line starter the Cardinals needed this season.
“He said he wanted to be on the attack,” Marmol said. “You can’t attack a lineup much more than what he did today. … He’s definitely demonstrating exactly what he talked about.”
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Willson Contreras to return Monday
All signs point to Contreras being activated off the injured list and returning to the Cardinals lineup ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves. It would mark a remarkable recovery for Contreras, who fractured his forearm on May 7 and was originally slated to return by the All-Star break. Instead, he could join the team weeks ahead of his projected timetable.
“He’s supposed to DH today,” Marmol said ahead of Sunday’s game. “We’ll see how he feels after that.”
Contreras went 1-for-5 in his sixth rehab game for Triple-A Memphis, though his results at the plate are secondary to how his body feels. His true testing point was catching back-to-back games, which he did Friday and Saturday. He came out of those games fine, though a scary moment arose Saturday during a collision at home plate. Contreras reported no issues afterward.
Willson Contreras throws out Xavier Edwards trying to steal 2nd. LOVE to see it. pic.twitter.com/rPYkDuWsyb
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) June 22, 2024
With Iván Herrera on the injured list with back tightness, the logical corresponding move is to option Nick Raposo back to Memphis and keep Pedro Pagés as the reserve. Pagés had played his way into the starting catcher’s role, earning praise and compliments from the coaching and pitching staff. The Cardinals navigated the last six weeks with the youngest starting catchers in baseball, as Pagés and Herrera filled in admirably.
St. Louis awaits clarity on Nolan Arenado (left forearm discomfort) and Michael Siani (bruised ribs) after both players left Saturday’s game. X-rays on Siani came back clean and he participated in pregame drills on Sunday. Arenado received an injection on Saturday and was unavailable for Sunday’s game. The organization is hopeful he can avoid an IL stint and will have more information on his condition on Monday. The Cardinals received good news on Tommy Edman (right wrist surgery) and Lars Nootbaar (oblique strain) over the weekend. Both are inching closer to rehab assignments, and there is optimism both can return before the All-Star break.
Steven Matz suffers another significant setback
Matz was shut down during his rehab assignment. After recording three scoreless innings on just over 30 pitches on June 16, Matz awoke the following morning with back soreness. He’ll be shut down for two weeks, essentially restarting his rehab process. The best-case scenario for Matz’s return is four to six weeks, according to Marmol. Andre Pallante will continue as the No. 5 starter for the time being.
Matz’s new estimated timetable for a return is just after MLB’s trade deadline, but the Cardinals will have to decide how much they trust Matz’s ability to remain healthy for the remainder of the season. Injuries have plagued Matz dating to 2021. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said injuries will dictate how he approaches the deadline, but it’s hard to envision the Cardinals selling at this point.
That means the Cardinals could once again be on the market for starting pitching come July.
“At the trading deadline, you can always use pitching,” Mozeliak told The Athletic earlier in the month. “There’s never been a year you don’t go into the deadline looking for pitching if you’re trying to contend. But ultimately, it’s going to be what do we look like in two or three weeks from a health standpoint?”
That will be a pressing question Mozeliak and the rest of the front office face over the next month. At long last, the Cardinals are playing baseball like they envisioned. Now it’s a matter of making sure it stays that way.
(Photo of Sonny Gray: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball. Prior to joining The Athletic, Katie spent two years covering the minor leagues as an editorial producer for MiLB.com and spent the 2018 MLB season covering the San Diego Padres as an associate reporter for MLB.com. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and originates from Northern California. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo
