– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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ARLINGTON, Texas — After 7 1/3 innings, Texas Rangers starter Jon Gray had faced the minimum number of St. Louis Cardinals, mowing down batter after batter in his latest stellar performance on the mound. Afterward, Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson produced a swing that game St. Louis the minimum number of runs it could score in a game without being shutout.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, that run stood up, as Jack Flaherty’s maximum effort during his best start of his season stifled the best offense in the Majors while snapping the latest St. Louis losing skid.
Burleson’s one-out solo home run to right was the only run of Wednesday’s contest at Globe Life Field, a 1-0 victory by the Cardinals over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday evening. Though Flaherty did not figure in the decision, he went six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters as the Cardinals’ five-game losing streak came to an end.
Epitomizing a tough-luck defeat, Gray took the loss for the Rangers despite allowing just that solo home run in a complete-game effort while striking out 12 batters without issuing a walk. It was Gray’s first complete game since 2016, which he threw as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
It was also a first-pitch slider to Burleson with one out in the eighth that was Gray’s undoing, as Burleson dropped the barrel to the ball and sent it on a line drive over the right field wall.
“I saw it early and was able to put a good swing on it,” Burleson said. “With [Gray], you’ve got to pick a pitch.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with all photos taken by Dallas-area photographer Ross James. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 26 pictures in total.
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