ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Sonny Gray struck out 10 while allowing only four singles over seven innings and Willson Contreras had a part in both St. Louis runs as the Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Saturday.
Gray’s 19th game with double-digit strikeouts made the 35-year-old right-hander in his 13th big league season the 10th active pitcher with 1,800 career strikeouts. Gray (6-1) threw 64 of 91 pitches for strikes and had only one walk.
Ryan Helsley worked the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances to wrap up the Cardinals’ seventh shutout of the season. Phil Maton pitched the eighth.
The Cardinals went ahead to stay by manufacturing a run without a hit after the second inning nearly started with a home run.
Contreras led off with a towering flyball near the left-field pole that prompted a crew chief review to determine it was foul as initially called. He then walked, advanced on a wild pitch by Patrick Corbin (3-4), got to third on a groundout and scored on Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly.
Maysn Winn led of the Cardinals fourth with a double and went home on a ground-rule double by Contreras, a ball that hit just fair down the left-field line and bounced into the seats.
Corbin allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings.
Texas, after an 11-1 win Friday night, was shut out for the eighth time.
Key moment
Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan’s nifty play in the ninth inning to throw out speedy No. 3 hitter Wyatt Langford for the second out around two strikeouts by Helsley.
Key stat
The Cardinals finished with a 19-8 record in May, their best record in that month since 20-7 in 2013, their last World Series season.
Up next
Jacob deGrom (4-2, 2.42 ERA), who has allowed two runs over fewer in each of his last eight starts, pitches the series finale for Texas on Sunday. Eric Fedde (3-4) goes for the Cardinals.
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