Cardinals Blank Dodgers 5-0 with Gray, Two Homers

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in a rain-delayed game highlighted by Sonny Gray's strong pitching and Pedro Pagés' two-run homer. Gray pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing eight hits and striking out five without issuing a walk, extending his scoreless streak to 20 innings and improving his record to 7-1 with a 3.35 ERA. Pagés' homer in the second inning and Brendan Donovan's two-run single in the fifth helped build the Cardinals' lead, while Willson Contreras added a sixth-inning homer. The Cardinals' bullpen, including JoJo Romero, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz, secured the team's eighth shutout of the season. Despite the Dodgers' offensive threats from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, Gray's pitching thwarted their scoring chances. The Cardinals have excelled recently, posting a National League-best 21-9 record since early May, while Gray continues to rank ninth in the league with 81 strikeouts.