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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Even after the baseball landed in the expanse of grass beyond the center field wall at CACTI Park for a first-pitch home run, Sonny Gray was pleased with the location, movement and execution of the fastball.

Just as he was certain he’d never, ever throw it in that spot to Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena in a game that counts.

“After the fact, I was kind of thinking through it, and I was trying to re-remember his scouting report and how I would attack him,� Gray explained. “I think it was big spin over small spin. Likes short spin in the zone. And 0-0, I threw him short spin in the zone, and he did it. That makes a lot of sense. That’s what he does really, really well.

“That wasn’t the focus for me. I’m going to execute the pitch and I executed the pitch, whether it’s the right or wrong pitch — that’s a story for a different day.�

The story on this day was Gray returning to the mound where his spring detoured 12 months ago and feeling swell in his first Grapefruit League appearance of the year.

Gray threw 2⅔ innings on 49 pitches and felt strong doing so at the ballpark where he strained his hamstring and delayed his season in 2024. The top of Houston’s lineup was representative of a regular season — Jose Altuve leading off and Yordan Alvarez looming on deck — and Gray buzzed through it, in order, on 11 pitches in the first inning. By the time he got to the third inning, Gray started experimenting with his pitch sequence and that, along with a gusty wind, led to back-to-back homers. He allowed three total, starting with Pena’s solo shot with two out in the second inning.

“Sequences was the only thing that I wasn’t thrilled about later in the game because you try things and then you flip it,� said Gray, who is on turn to start opening day March 27 at Busch Stadium. “You see the hitter’s approach and then you try to flip it a little bit. There’s that cat-and-mouse game. Just kind of overexposing some things and then it hones into: OK, this is what I do to righties, this is what I do to lefties. Next for me is adding that layer.�

Gray is both meticulous with his outings and methodical with his preparation for the season. He referred several times to the process of “layering.�

He wanted his first schedule start of the spring to be on the back fields in a simulated structure so he could control more of the outing. From there, he wanted to “layer� on the game and the disruptive intent of an opponent. In his next outing, he plans to add a “layer� of scouting. Gray is likely to pick out three or four opposing hitters in next week’s start to run a game plan on. Instead of picking pitches and executing blind to the batter as he did Wednesday, he’ll script approaches for the few specific hitters.

“That is really part of my game,� Gray said. “Add that layer and just continue to add layers so when two, three weeks from now you’re firing on all cylinders.�

“Extremely intentional,� manager Oliver Marmol said of the right-hander. “The guy really understands what he’s trying to get out of the day. He’s really intentional with what he wants to get out of an outing like today.�

That goes right down to briefly talking to Marmol about staying in the game to finish the third inning. Gray said had their been a right-handed batter up next, he would have lobbied to stay and throw a 50th, 51st or 52nd pitch to try out a sequence.

In his first season with the Cardinals, Gray’s ERA jumped up a run, from 2.79 as a Twin in 2023 to 3.84, and one of the leading culprits was home runs. Like the conditions Wednesday, those homers take context. He allowed 16 of the 21 on the road, and 10 of those came at three of the best home run ballparks in the business, including three each in Milwaukee and Cincinnati. The Reds’ ballpark ranked the best place to hit a homer in the majors; the Brewers’ screw-top home ranked sixth.

The pitch script Gray flipped in that third inning Wednesday is somewhat related to his theory on giving hitters a different look before two strikes and reducing any predictability that may have related to the homers.

The complete picture of how he’s going to do that is a layer yet to come.

Or a story for another day.

“We did what we came to do,� Gray said.

Right guys for right roles

With competition for open spots crystallizing coming out of Monday’s off-day, Wednesday’s 6-5 walk-off loss to Houston left a box score brimming with right-handers making their case, from the bullpen to the bench.

The Cardinals are intrigued by the “uncomfortable� fastball Chris Roycroft throws, and he pitched out of a two-hit jam for a scoreless inning against the Astros. Roddery Munoz came to the Cardinals as a starter off waivers, and they’re reimagining his power stuff in a relief role. He struck out two in a scoreless inning and has yet to allow a run in three innings this spring. Five of his nine outs have come on strikeouts.

The Cardinals want to create a stockpile of relievers who can bring different looks to the bullpen and rotate through it this season from Class AAA to the majors.

On the bench, Luken Baker is shoving his way into the mix to be the right-handed bat off the bench and a designated hitter alternative. Baker socked his team-leading third homer on Wednesday, elevating his on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) to 1.233 and average to .294 for spring.

“Taking some really good at-bats,� Marmol said. “Understands the strike zone. Doesn’t matter righty or lefty. Just put together some quality at-bats.�

Extra bases

Former bench coach Joe McEwing visited camp Wednesday and participated in some of the work with infielders and elsewhere on the campus. “Super Joe� has been a special assistant within the Cardinals’ baseball operations since his year on the big league coaching staff in 2023.

• Following Gray’s start Wednesday, the Cardinals roll out their rotation in an order ready for the regular season: Erick Fedde on Thursday, Miles Mikolas on Friday and Steven Matz set for Saturday. Sunday’s game against the Yankees is timed for either Andre Pallante, Matthew Liberatore or Michael McGreevy to start.
• The Cardinals announced a speaker series that will feature former Cardinals in question-and-answer settings at specific games this season. Among the players who will participate with the team’s broadcasters, Chip Caray and Brad Thompson, are Ozzie Smith (pregame April 11, pregame 7); David Eckstein (pregame April 25, postgame July 13); Ted Simmons (pregame May 23); and David Freese (postgame Sept. 17). A separate ticket is required for the events, and it includes an autograph and opportunity for a selfie with the player.