ARLINGTON, Texas — Sonny Gray delivered a standout performance on Saturday, allowing just four singles across seven innings and recording 10 strikeouts as the St. Louis Cardinals secured a 2-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Willson Contreras played an instrumental role in driving both of the Cardinals’ runs in the game.
Gray’s impressive outing marked his 19th career game with double-digit strikeouts, and in doing so, the 35-year-old right-hander became the 10th active pitcher to reach 1,800 career strikeouts. Gray, who holds a 6-1 record this season, threw 64 of his 91 pitches for strikes and conceded just one walk during his time on the mound.
In the final stretch, Ryan Helsley took the charge in the ninth inning, successfully closing out the game and securing his 13th save of the season in 15 opportunities. This achievement marked the Cardinals’ seventh shutout of the year. Phil Maton contributed by pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
The Cardinals took the lead early and maintained it by manufacturing a run without registering a hit in the second inning, a sequence that nearly featured a home run. Willson Contreras began the inning with a high flyball near the left-field pole that was initially ruled foul after a crew chief review. From there, Contreras drew a walk, advanced on a wild pitch from Rangers pitcher Patrick Corbin, moved to third on a groundout, and scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from Nolan Arenado.
In the fourth inning, Maysn Winn sparked the offense with a double, eventually scoring on a ground-rule double by Contreras. The ball struck fair down the left-field line and ended up in the stands. Corbin allowed two runs on three hits and issued two walks during his 5 1/3 innings on the mound.
Despite an impressive 11-1 victory on Friday night, the Rangers faced their eighth shutout of the season. A pivotal moment came when Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan executed a slick play to throw out speedy Wyatt Langford for the second out in the ninth inning. Helsley completed the frame with two strikeouts.
Highlighting an outstanding May, the Cardinals concluded with a 19-8 record, marking their best performance in May since a 20-7 stretch in 2013, the year they last reached the World Series.
Looking ahead, Jacob deGrom, holding a 4-2 record with a 2.42 ERA, will start for Texas in the series finale on Sunday, after allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts. The Cardinals will counter with Eric Fedde (3-4).