JUPITER, Fla. — There are two ways to look at Kyle Gibson’s performance this spring with the Cardinals.
The first is the way Gibson prefers, which is that he feels good physically and is getting in the work that he needs in order to be ready to begin the regular season.
The second is by the numbers, which would include Tuesday’s start against the Marlins when he allowed eight runs, seven of them earned, on nine hits over five innings – and saw his spring ERA go down.
Gibson’s ERA over his first two spring games was 12.60, and it dropped to 10.80 after Tuesday’s game. The stats don’t include his simulated game against his own team last week when he was happy with how he pitched.
He wasn’t as happy on Tuesday.
“One of my best pitches to righties is a sinker in and I don’t know that I had but maybe one all day,” Gibson said. “Everything was just going more to the middle and down. When it’s over the plate and down they certainly are going to be able to get a bat on it.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice off Gibson, one a two-run wind-aided homer and a three-run shot.
“The numbers are what they are, but it’s more about execution and how you go about it,” Gibson said. “There are certain things I’ve got to clean up and be better about.
“There’s still certain times I’m working on things. I think I threw three cutters to Jazz in his first at-bat just because the first one was so bad. Trying to get a good feeling so I threw another one and then 2-0 in the season you can’t keep throwing the same pitch that you are pulling the whole time. Same thing, trying to work on it, then threw it for a ball again.
“That’s kind of what spring training is for.”
Gibson will make one more start in Florida before the team breaks camp, the final game on Sunday.
The Cardinals also played a night game on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie, where the Mets forced Lance Lynn to throw 59 pitches before he could get through the second inning and they went on to a 3-1 victory.
Here is how both of Tuesday’s games broke down:
High: In the 11-10 win over the Marlins, both Willson Contreras and Dylan Carlson drove in three runs with bases-loaded doubles.
Low: Seven Cardinals pitchers combined to issue eight walks in the loss to the Mets.
At the plate: Contreras’ double capped a seven-run second inning against the Marlins … Carlson’s double came batting lefthanded … Victor Scott II was 1-of-4, beating out a bunt single … In the night game, the Cardinals were held to just five hits … Masyn Winn was hitless in four at-bats and struck out three times, dropping his spring average to .212.
On the mound: Lynn finished with 3 1/3 innings in his start, allowing three hits and four walks … In the day game, Andrew Kittredge gave up three hits and two runs in his inning of relief against the Marlins … Both JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien worked a perfect inning with two strikeouts … John King worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the night game while Ryan Fernandez worked one scoreless innings.
Worth noting: Sonny Gray is expected to throw live batting practice on Thursday, then could pitch in one of the two games against the Cubs next week in Arizona before the Cardinals head to Los Angeles to start the season … Brandon Crawford is listed as day-to-day as he recovers from a bruised hand, the result of being hit by a pitch on Sunday … Brendan Donovan rejoined the team after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter, on Friday. He was 1-of-3 and drew a walk against the Marlins.
Up next: The Cardinals have five games left in Florida, beginning with a night game on Wednesday against the Nationals in West Palm Beach. Steven Matz is the scheduled starter.
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