Saturday’s Game Report: Diamondbacks 10, Cardinals 1
By Rob Rains
Trying to identify the biggest reason for the Cardinals’ recent struggles is pretty simple. It was on display again on Saturday night.
Sonny Gray was the latest Cardinal starter to run into a bad game as he allowed nine runs, eight earned, and recorded only 10 outs in the blowout loss to the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
The nine runs were the most Gray has allowed in a start in his career and was only the most recent poor start from a Cardinals’ starter.
Andre Pallante allowed five runs in the opening game of the series on Friday night and over their last 14 games, dating back to June 30, Cardinals starters have combined to allow 56 earned runs in 66 innings, an ERA of 7.64.
The Cardinals fell to 4-10 in that stretch of games, and over that stretch have been outscored 44-17 in the first three innings.
Gray and Miles Mikolas are the only starters to pick up a win during the last two weeks, and only once has a Cardinal starter gone seven innings. No starter has lasted more than 4 2/3 innings in the last five games.
Here is how Saturday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Masyn Winn had three of the Cardinals’ seven hits, all singles, but was erased once in a double play and left stranded the other two times he reached base … The lone run came on a home run from Alec Burleson in the sixth, his 12th of the year. That moved him into a tie for the most on the team with Willson Contreras and Lars Nootbaar … They were hitless in seven at-bats with a runner in scoring position, including wasting a leadoff double from Jordan Walker in the fifth and a one-out double by Thomas Saggese in the eighth.
On the mound: Gray allowed three runs in the first inning, two coming on a home run by Eugenio Suarez after Pedo Pages was called for catcher’s interference on a pitch that should have ended the inning … Gray also allowed two runs in the second and another home run to Suarez in the third before the Diamondbacks knocked him out of the game in the fourth. The 11 hits allowed by Gray equaled his career high, set in a game in 2015 … Gordon Graceffo allowed an inherited runner to score but kept the Diamondbacks from adding to the lead over the next three innings … The final Arizona run scored off John King in the eighth.
Key stat: Gray saw his road ERA in eight starts this season climb to 5.84, allowing 29 earned runs in 44 2/3 innings. His home ERA, where Gray is 6-1, is 2.84.
Worth noting: Corbin Carroll had been 0-of-14 against the Cardinals this season but had two triples and a double … Saggese was recalled from Memphis one day after he was optioned to the Triple A club. He replaced Nolan Gorman on the roster after Gorman was placed on the IL with a sore back, an issue that has bothered him at times throughout his career. Saggese never made it to Toledo, where Memphis is playing this weekend.
Up next: Mikolas will get the start on Sunday as the Cardinals try to avoid being swept in the three-game series.
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