Cardinals recall Gomber, send Poncedeleon back to Memphis

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ST. LOUIS -- Seven no-hit innings and Daniel Poncedeleon is back in the minors.

Such is life when a team has minor league options.

One night after Poncedeleon made one of the most impressive major league debuts in franchise history, the St. Louis Cardinals  optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Memphis. The Cardinals have been shuttling pitchers to and from the minors all season to maximize the number of available arms at any given time.

Poncedeleon was replaced on the big-league roster by rookie Austin Gomber, who will make his first major league start Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

Gomber, 24, has made 15 relief appearances for the Cardinals this season since making his big-league debut June 2. The left-hander was 7-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) for Memphis.

Poncedeleon became one of five pitchers since 1961 -- and the first since the Dodgers' Ross Stripling in 2016 -- to throw at least seven no-hit innings in a major league debut. Not since Danny Cox in 1983 had a Cardinals pitcher tossed seven scoreless innings in a big-league debut.

With Poncedeleon on Monday, Gomber on Tuesday and Jack Flaherty scheduled for Wednesday, the Cardinals will be starting three rookies in a series for the first time since 1997 (Mike Busby, Matt Morris and Manny Aybar).