St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 14, 2024 ) Chi. Cubs 8, St. Louis 3
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray enters Thursday night's series opener with the host Chicago Cubs sitting among the National League leaders with 10 wins, but he will be happy to flip the calendar to August.
Gray (10-6, 3.79 ERA) was just 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts in July, allowing 18 earned runs on 32 hits and four walks over 24 innings. He comes in off a 10-8 loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday that saw him allow five runs on seven hits and three of those walks over five innings.
It marked the third time in four starts that Gray, in the first season of a three-year, $75 million contract with the Cardinals, had allowed at least five earned runs. But the three-time All-Star and American League Cy Young Award runner-up in 2023 said he feels fine and is confident that he can turn things around.
"Physically, I'm feeling good," Gray said. "I'm just not putting up zeroes right now."
"I know what I need to do and I know what I have to do to be a great pitcher, and it takes a lot of effort and a lot of energy, but I'll commit to doing it again."
Gray is 5-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cubs, but he is just 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA in four career starts at Wrigley Field.
St. Louis, which is in second place in the National League Central, five games behind first-place Milwaukee, brings a two-game winning streak into the four-game series after defeating the Texas Rangers 10-1 on Wednesday behind the pitching of right-hander Michael McGreevy.
McGreevy, ranked the team's No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline, held the defending World Series champions to one run on five hits over seven innings in his major league debut.
"Oh, man, that was awesome to watch," St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. "Probably the most impressive thing was how much he was in control. You wouldn't have thought it was his first time out there on a big-league field. He didn't make the moment any bigger than it was, and he was calm throughout."
Rookie left-hander Shota Imanaga (8-2, 2.95 ERA) will make his second career start against St. Louis. Imanaga gave up one run on four hits over seven innings while striking out six in a 5-1 win over the visiting Cardinals on June 15. The Cubs are 15-4 when he pitches, tied for the most team wins in starts by any NL pitcher.
Chicago is 10 games behind first-place Milwaukee and 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot after splitting a six-game road trip to Kansas City and Cincinnati by beating the Reds 13-4 on Wednesday.
Ian Happ had a two-run homer among his three hits, Cody Bellinger went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and third baseman Isaac Paredes, picked up at the trade deadline from Tampa Bay, went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three runs to lead Chicago.
The Cubs finished with season highs for runs and hits (17) and clubbed nine doubles, their most in a game since 2010.
"We just hit a lot of balls hard and had a lot of good at-bats," Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. "It was just a great night for the offense."
"To come out on getaway day and to have that win and head back home for a big series against the Cardinals, it's good momentum," Happ added.
--Field Level Media