Sonny Gray News: Five solid innings in ninth win

Gray (9-3) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out six.

Gray was curiously lifted after tossing just 70 pitches in a solid performance. It's worth noting Tuesday's first pitch was delayed by about two hours due to rain, which might have altered St. Louis' plans in terms of Gray's workload. The Cardinals have been cautious with the veteran right-hander all year long, as Gray has hit the 90-pitch threshold only six times out of his 18 starts. That hasn't prevented him from delivering a steady 3.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 113:19 K:BB across 105 frames, though. His next appearance is set for this weekend at home versus an underperforming Atlanta team that has a .670 OPS since the start of June.