Should the Cardinals be worried about Sonny Gray?

On June 23, St. Louis Cardinal ace Sonny Gray put together another dominant start, this time against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Across seven innings, Gray allowed just one hit, a solo home run. He flirted with history before being lifted in the 8th inning. His ERA fell to 2.81 and he put himself squarely in the mix for the NL Cy Young Award. Through the first three months of the season, Gray was among the best in baseball. Sonny Gray Day became something of a holiday for Cardinals fans.

Since that dominant outing, Gray has been less than stellar. He's made four starts, pitching to a 6.17 ERA over 23.1 innings. On June 29, Gray failed to complete the fifth, allowing six runs (three earned) in a loss to Cincinnati. He pitched poorly again in his following outing, allowing five runs in five innings in Washington.

Coming out of the All-Star Break, Gray disappointed in Atlanta, surrendering five runs in seven innings, four of which came via solo home runs. Gray was lucky to have limited the damage. Prior to Saturday's clunker, Gray had allowed just two homers in 53 innings.

It hasn't all been bad though. Gray has pitched through the seventh in each of his last two starts, and his FIP over this stretch is just 3.93. He's certainly fallen prey to some tough luck. On the season, Gray owns a 2.89 FIP, a mark that stands among the best across MLB. He's also continued to generate strikeouts, and his peripherals remain mostly strong. Gray is allowing more barrels than before, but that number is probably inflated after his disastrous outing in Atlanta. Regardless, there are some real concerns here.

However, the Cardinals shouldn't worry about their ace yet. He's been unlucky, and he'll have an opportunity to get right at home against a scuffling Washington lineup. Gray is still the Cardinals' ace. Perhaps he needs a "reset." But, he's one of the best pitchers in the National League, and though he probably won't win the Cy Young Award at this point, he should've been named an All-Star.

The Cardinals just need him to get back to being the best version of himself. If they're going to maintain their level of play and stay in the playoff hunt, they'll need Grat to pitch like a true number one. So here's to hoping he's at his best when it really counts in September and October!