The results were there on opening day for Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray, but some of the underlying data shows a need for improvement.
Gray starts Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. as the Cardinals wrap up a series vs. the Angels and end the season's first homestand.
St. Louis has lost each of the first two games of the series in extra innings and seek to avoid a sweep.
In his first start, Gray picked up the win vs. the Twins, going five innings, allowing four hits and two runs.
But he got there by permitting some uncharacteristically hard contact. Gray allowed five balls hit 103mph or more. The first time through the rotation, no other Cardinals starter has permitted more than two balls hit that hard.
Gray permitted more balls hit that hard in only one game last season, allowing a season-worst six earned runs in that game.
People are also reading…
The Twins were unable to do much damage on those five blistered balls (two singles), but that's not a trend Gray wants to continue. Last season, MLB players on balls hit at 103mph or more.
Gray's hard-hit rate of 66.7% in the opener, which includes balls hit at 95mph or more, was far worse than his career average.
The Angels will send out 33-year-old Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi in a matchup of two of the top 16 most valuable starting pitchers last season by Fangraphs wins above replacement.
The Cardinals are 3-2 and the Angels are 4-1.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Lars Nootbaar, LF
2. Willson Contreras, 1B
3. Luken Baker,DH
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Ivan Herrera, C
6. Brendan Donovan, 2B
7. Jordan Walker, RF
8. Victor Scott, CF
9. Masyn Winn, SS
P: Sonny Gray, RHP
ANGELS
1. Taylor Ward, LF
2. Luis Rengifo, 2B
3. Mike Trout, RF
4. Jorge Soler, DH
5. Yoan Moncada, 3B
6. Nolan Schanuel, 1B
7. Logan O'Hoppe, C
8. Jo Adell ,CF
9. Nicky Lopez, SS
P: Yusei Kikuchi, LHP
Injury report
Zack Thompson, LHP (lat strain): Remained in Jupiter, Florida, to begin a throwing program after a month of limited activity and no throwing. Thompson went through multiple checkups and scans to monitor the healing of a tear in his lat on the left side, and they did not show any setback to delayed Thompson's scheduled move to the injured list. Updated March 29
