Sonny Gray was struggling to regain the velocity on his fastball during spring training before he dealt with an illness at the start of the season.
Gray (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will look to get up to speed on Wednesday afternoon as the St. Louis Cardinals try to avoid a three-game sweep by the visiting Los Angeles Angels.
The Angels recorded a 5-4 win in 10 innings on Monday and a 9-7 decision in 11 innings on Tuesday.
Gray, 35, finished 0-3 with a 12.56 ERA during spring training. He allowed 23 hits, including eight homers, in 14 1/3 innings.
He held the Minnesota Twins to two runs on four hits in five innings during a 5-3 victory on Opening Day. He struck out six and walked two.
“I feel like I’m trending in a better direction,” Gray said. “I will continue to get stronger, and I will continue to get better.”
Gray leaned on his sinker, curveball and sweeper against the Twins.
“We’re talking about a guy that wasn’t feeling real well and had battled through the illness,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “We didn’t know if he was going to, energy wise, just tap out after two, three, four (innings). He kept going strong. … He did a phenomenal job of mixing, relied on the sinker and the curveball more than normal, and both those pitches were very effective for him.”
Gray is 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 17 career appearances against the Angels, including 16 starts.
The Angels will go for the sweep with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 4.50 ERA) facing the Cardinals in his second start of the season Wednesday.
Kikuchi opened the season by allowing three runs on five hits in six innings during an 8-1 road loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He struck out five and walked none.
Kikuchi, who has spent his entire big league career in the American League, will make his first start against the Cardinals.
Center fielder Jo Adell returned to the Angels on Tuesday (1-for-4, one RBI) after leaving Saturday’s game against the White Sox with left hip tightness. Utility player Kyren Paris went 3-for-8 with two walks, a triple, homer, two RBIs and three runs in his place.
“Everyone’s on the same page, and we want to win.” Paris said. “We have fight. And if someone doesn’t get the job done, the next guy’s picking them up. And that’s what it’s all about.”
Paris came off the bench Tuesday to deliver the key two-out, two-strike RBI single during the 11th inning.
Mike Trout has driven in four runs in this series as the Angels finally broke loose offensively. Los Angeles has won four of its first five games.
“Just trying to do your job, not try to do too much, having good at-bats, passing the baton, in the bullpen, putting up zeros,” Trout said. “It’s early, but it’s fun to be a part of this.”
–Field Level Media
