JUPITER, Fla. — Result: Nationals 1, Cardinals 0
Sonny Gray had to come out of his start on Monday early because of tightness in his right hamstring. Now the Cardinals have to wait and see when their projected opening-day starter will be able to pitch again.
Gray was scheduled to get an MRI on Monday with the team likely to know more about his status after receiving the results of that imaging.
Gray was pulled from the game after working 1 2/3 innings, walking off the field in West Palm Beach with a trainer. He needed just 20 pitches to record the five outs, allowing one hit and recording one strikeout.
He had been scheduled to work three innings in his second start of the spring.
When Gray was with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, he had to miss a month of the season because of an injury to his hamstring.
After Gray’s departure, the Cardinals lost 1-0 to the Nationals.
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
High: Steven Matz made his spring debut by working a scoreless inning, striking out two.
Low: The Cardinals were shut out for the second time in their last five games. They have scored a total of five runs in those games.
At the plate: Victor Scott II had one of the six hits and stole his second base of the spring. The team’s only extra-base hit was a double by Willson Contreras … The streak without a home run reached 10 games and 336 at-bats … The starting lineup included six players expected to play on opening day in Los Angeles, and they went a combined 2-of-16 with the hits coming from Contreras and Nolan Arenado.
On the mound: The only run of the game scored off JoJo Romero, who walked two and allowed a hit in his one inning of relief … Tink Hence worked two scoreless innings … Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Loutos also did not allow a run in their innings of work.
Worth noting: The Cardinals still don’t know when Tommy Edman will be medically cleared to begin taking live swings in batting practice as he continues to recover from last fall’s surgery on his wrist … Brandon Crawford has participated in a couple of live batting practice sessions and could be ready to play in a game as early as the end of this week … After being rained out of his start on Sunday, Drew Rom got in his work on a backfield in Jupiter … With the minor-league camp opening and a day off scheduled for Wednesday, the Cardinals could make their first roster cuts on Tuesday.
Up next: Miles Mikolas will make his second start on Tuesday as the Cardinals host the Minnesota Twins in Jupiter.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
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