Fans gathered to sing, dance, and get excited for the St. Louis Cardinals first home game of the season April 4, 2024. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
ST. LOUIS — Sonny Gray watched the Cardinals season opener alongside outfielder Lars Nootbaar and members of the Cardinals support staff last week in a sports bar in Jupiter, Florida. The club’s top offseason acquisition and ace of the starting rotation, Gray watched the home opener from Busch Stadium as he continues to progress toward a return from a hamstring strain.
The Cardinals still haven’t announced a timetable for Gray’s return, but the veteran right-hander threw a 54-pitch simulated outing Wednesday in Springfield, Missouri, against players from the Double-A affiliate.
Gray made his feelings about the next step pretty clear, though he acknowledged a decision hasn’t been made.
“It depends on who you ask, I guess,” Gray said of the plan going forward. “I would like to pitch here (in the majors), but we’ll see where that goes. There’s probably a lot going on today for everybody, but I feel great.
“I mean if it was up to me, I would personally like to pitch here. But we’ll sit down today, tomorrow, Saturday, probably whenever things slow down around here and kind of go through it.”
Gray, the runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award in 2023, said he expects his next outing to progress to about 70-75 pitches over five “ups” or the equivalent of five separate innings.
“I feel more than confident, more than capable of being able to do that no matter where it’s at,” Gray said. “Now that everyone is back and we get to see each other face to face and we get to say, ‘How’s it going? What’s been going on? How you been feeling?’ I guess we’ll sit down and have the conversation.”
Having Gray on a limit of 70-75 pitches in a major league outing could place additional pressure on the club’s bullpen to cover innings to compensate.
Cardinals starter Steven Matz went into his first start with a pitch limit of approximately 80 pitches, which meant the bullpen had to cover the final 3⅔ innings and ultimately coughed up a late lead in a one-run loss.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol declined to give any details on the plan for Gray.
When told Gray said he hoped to make his next appearance in the majors, Marmol replied, “That’s what every competitor would say, what I would expect. I’ll circle up with Sonny before the day gets crazy.”
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said the original plan for Gray included a start Tuesday for Triple-A Memphis.
“We have a lot of other things going on right now, so I haven’t drilled down with the coaching staff and really determined what’s next,” Mozeliak said. “But that was the original plan.”
Nootbaar, the club’s projected starting left fielder, remained in Indianapolis Thursday with Triple-A Memphis on rehab assignment.
Memphis’ game Wednesday in Indianapolis was rained out, which necessitated Gray throwing a simulated game in Springfield instead of a rehab assignment with Memphis as originally planned.
Edman makes progress
Center fielder Tommy Edman remains on the injured list as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. He had to start and stop his rehab multiple times during spring training due to persistent pain in his wrist while swinging a bat.
“I had the MRI yesterday, and (received) generally good news,” Edman said. “Kind of just keep on tracking updwards. That’s the goal. Just keep on improving each day.”
Edman, who paused swinging and has focused on strengthening his wrist, said he’s set to have a physical exam Monday before he can be cleared for further activity such as a hitting progression.
A 2021 National League Gold Glove winner at second base and a finalist for the Gold Glove as a utility player last season, Edman was set to take over as the Cardinals’ starting center fielder this season. He described it as “unfortunate” that the injury and rehab has dragged out as long as it has, but he said his spirits are up.
“Obviously, the team just won a big series,” Edman said. “So that was good to see. I’m just excited to get back and hopefully contribute soon.”
Carpenter to IL
Prior to Thursday’s game, the Cardinals placed infielder Matt Carpenter on the injured list with a right oblique strain (retroactive to April 2), and the team recalled catcher Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis.
Carpenter was in uniform Thursday and took part in the pregame introductions at Busch Stadium, as were injured players Dylan Carlson, Riley O’Brien, Drew Rom, Edman and Gray.
The Cardinals added Pages to the 40-man roster in November. He has not appeared in a major league game.
The Cardinals needed insurance at the position with starting catcher Willson Contreras out of the lineup after he got hit by a 92 mph pitch on the left hand Wednesday by San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove.
Rookie catcher Ivan Herrera started the home opener, opening the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run.
Utility man Brendan Donovan also got hit by a pitch Wednesday. The pitch hit him on his surgically repaired right elbow. Donovan, the club’s leadoff hitter, was also not in the lineup for the home opener.
Milestone in press box
Lauren Wiser made her debut as the official scorer for the Cardinals home opener, which made her the ninth woman to be an official scorer in MLB history according to MLB and Elias Sports Bureau records.
She joined Jillian Geib (Colorado), Kara Blackstone (Arizona), Sarah Johnson (Minnesota), Brittany Womack (San Diego) and Alexandra Irving (San Francisco/Oakland).
"We've got a group that likes to fight, likes to win, and we are starting to show that early," Lance Lynn said.
Richard Pietsek, from south St. Louis County, sings along to the national anthem as he displays his flag before the Cardinals’ home opener against the Marlins at Busch Stadium on Thursday, April 4, 2024.
Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray waves to fans during pregame ceremonies Thursday, April 4, 2024, at Busch Stadium before the start of the Cardinals’ home opener against the Marlins.