Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Chased out in sixth inning
Rotowire
Liberatore did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk over five-plus innings against the Marlins. He struck out five.
Liberatore worked into the sixth inning Monday but was knocked out before recording an out in the frame, leaving him with a no-decision. While he fell short of a full six innings, it was the first time the southpaw had completed five frames since July 5. The 25-year-old has struggled to maintain form as the season has worn on, pitching to a 5.31 ERA and 1.54 WHIP with a 5.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 across his last 12 starts (57.2 innings).
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Trouble maintaining velocity
Rotowire
Liberatore has had difficulty maintaining his velocity deep into starts, most recently seeing his four-seamer drop to 90-to-91 mph in the fifth inning of Tuesday's loss to the Rockies, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Liberatore set down the first nine batters he faced Tuesday. However, his velocity began to slip in the fourth -- when he served up a two-run homer to Hunter Goodman -- and declined further in the fifth before he was pulled after allowing the first two runners of that frame to reach base. Liberatore has a 5.47 ERA and 12:11 K:BB over 24.2 innings since the start of July and hasn't recorded an out beyond the fifth inning in any of those outings. The lefty could be wearing down as he goes through his first full season as a starter at the major-league level. Liberatore will make his next scheduled start Monday in Miami, but if he struggles again, the Cardinals will consider altering his role. One option is to piggyback him with Kyle Leahy.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Tagged with 10th loss
Rotowire
Liberatore (6-10) took the loss against the Rockies on Tuesday, surrendering three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings .
The left-hander was sharp early, setting down the first nine batters he faced, but ran into trouble in the fourth when Hunter Goodman belted a two-run homer that put St. Louis behind for good. The outing marked the 25-year-old's fifth consecutive start in which he's failed to complete five innings, and the loss extended his skid to four straight decisions without a win. Liberatore is slated to take the mound again early next week against Miami carrying a 4.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 88:28 K:BB over 118.1 innings.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Falters in fifth inning
Rotowire
Liberatore (6-9) allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out one over 4.1 innings to take the loss Friday versus the Padres.
A defensive miscue by Willson Contreras allowed the Padres to build a rally in the fifth inning, which ended Liberatore's outing early. He finished with 85 pitches (55 strikes) but came up short of the five-inning mark for the second start in a row. The southpaw had a start skipped coming out of the All-Star break and is also likely to have his innings monitored down the stretch -- he's already at 109 frames in 2025, though his career high across all levels came in 2022, when he logged 149.2 innings. Liberatore has been decent this year with a 3.96 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 84:26 K:BB across 20 starts, but if he can't be more efficient to be eligible for wins, his fantasy value will tumble. The 25-year-old is tentatively scheduled for a tough road matchup versus the Dodgers next week.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Start being skipped
Rotowire
The Cardinals are giving Liberatore extra rest coming out of the All-Star break in order to manage his workload, and he's tentatively expected to make his next start Saturday against the Padres, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The left-hander lined up to take the mound Monday in Colorado, but St. Louis will instead call up prospect Michael McGreevy to pitch. Liberatore is healthy but has already thrown 100.1 innings this season, which is a significant bump in his workload after operating as a swingman in each of the previous two seasons. He's been a quality rotation piece for the Cardinals in 2025 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 80:22 K:BB through 18 starts.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Overwhelmed by Atlanta in loss
Rotowire
Liberatore (6-7) took the loss Friday against Atlanta, giving up six runs on nine hits and one walk in three innings. He didn't record a strikeout.
Liberatore matched his shortest outing of the year, and the six runs he surrendered were his most since his June 5 start. Friday's outing was his first this season without a strikeout, and the nine hits allowed tied his season high. Liberatore has still settled in as a consistent member of St. Louis' rotation during the first half of the campaign, logging a 4.13 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 80:22 K:BB over a career-high 100.1 frames.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Walks four in no-decision
Rotowire
Liberatore allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts over five innings Saturday against the Cubs. He didn't factor into the decision.
The left-hander issued just 12 free passes through his first 15 outings of the season, but he's now walked nine batters across his past two starts. The command issues prevented Liberatore from extending his streak of quality starts to four, but he still has a 2.25 ERA over his last four appearances. He's likely to make his final start before the All-Star break next weekend versus Atlanta.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Picks up fifth victory
Rotowire
Liberatore (5-6) earned the win over the Cubs on Monday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters over seven innings.
Liberatore needed a tidy 85 pitches to complete seven frames, throwing 52 of those offerings for strikes. The southpaw recorded his second straight quality start following a rough three-outing stretch in late May and early June during which he went 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA. Liberatore has a 3.96 overall ERA on the campaign, but without that poor three-start span it would be at 2.74 across 72.1 frames. He's tentatively scheduled to make his next start in Cleveland.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Back in win column
Rotowire
Liberatore (4-6) got the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four in six innings.
Liberatore picked up his first win since May 6 and posted his first quality start since May 24. The control from Liberatore remains impeccable, as he has just five walks over his last 38.1 innings. He also has just a 6.6 K/9 over that span compared to an 8.3 K/9 over his first seven starts of the year. He's still been reliable overall and will look to take down the Reds at home in his next start this weekend.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Goes five innings in loss
Rotowire
Liberatore (3-6) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings.
Liberatore started strong before allowing five runs over his final three frames. While it was encouraging to see the 25-year-old reach 90 pitches after exiting early with fatigue Thursday, he generated just eight whiffs and allowed 12 hard-hit balls. He'll carry a 3.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 62:11 K:BB across 73.1 innings into a favorable matchup with the White Sox next week.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Dealing with fatigue
Rotowire
Liberatore exited Thursday's start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals due to fatigue, Jim Hayes reports.
Liberatore labored through four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and a walk. His velocity was also down to 89.8 mph in his final at-bat, so fatigue is seemingly the best news possible. It's unclear if Liberatore will require further testing or whether he will make his next turn through the rotation.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Exits with trainer
Rotowire
Liberatore exited the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Cardinals' head athletic trainer, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports
Liberatore struggled across four innings prior to his exit, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and one walk. The exact nature of the injury is unclear, but his velocity dipped to 89.5 mph against the final batter he faced, per John Denton of MLB.com.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Stingy in no-decision
Rotowire
Liberatore came away with a no-decision Saturday, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings in a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. He struck out four without walking a batter.
The 25-year-old southpaw served up a solo shot to Randal Grichuk in the fifth inning but was otherwise very efficient as he fired 61 of his 88 pitches for strikes. The quality start was Liberatore's seventh in 10 outings this season, and he's given up two runs or fewer in eight straight trips to the mound, posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 40:8 K:BB through 47 innings over that span. Liberatore will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Rangers.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Notches sixth quality start
Rotowire
Liberatore took a no-decision in Sunday's 2-1 loss at Kansas City, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out five.
The St. Louis southpaw continued his recent excellent run of performance, as he has now allowed two or fewer runs over his last seven outings. During that stretch, Liberatore has pitched to a 2.03 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 36:7 K:BB across 40 innings. The 25-year-old limited damage once again Sunday, with the only blemish on his line coming via a Dairon Blanco RBI double in the fourth. Liberatore currently lines up to make his next start at home against Arizona next weekend.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Start shortened by rain delay
Rotowire
Liberatore (2-3) was charged with the loss Thursday in Cincinnati after giving up two runs on two hits and a walk across three innings. He struck out two.
The left-hander surrendered a two-run homer to Jose Trevino during the second inning but didn't get a chance to work much deeper into Thursday's contest due to a lengthy rain delay. The long ball is just the second allowed this season by Liberatore, and he's also issued only three walks through six starts. He's been a strong rotation piece for St. Louis early in 2025 and has a 3.44 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 30 strikeouts over 34 innings.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Blanks Phillies
Rotowire
Liberatore (1-1) tossed six scoreless innings in a win over the Phillies on Sunday, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out seven.
Liberatore had an outstanding performance leading to his first win of the season. He had almost 60 pitches through three frames but went nine up, nine down over the next three innings. Liberatore did an excellent job of getting ahead of the count and his slider was fooling hitters with a 66.7 percent whiff rate. Liberatore owns a 3.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB in 18.1 innings and lines up for a road start against the Mets this week.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Beginning season in rotation
Rotowire
Liberatore will be St. Louis' fifth starter to begin the campaign, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
This news comes as a mild surprise after Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said in mid-March that Liberatore would likely open the season in the bullpen. Instead, the left-hander will work as St. Louis' fifth starter while Steven Matz will begin the campaign in the bullpen and Michael McGreevy will start the season in the minors. The Cardinals plan to move to a six-man rotation beginning April 16, giving Liberatore more leeway as a starter as long as his performance is up to par early in the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Prepping as starter
Rotowire
Liberatore said Sunday that he'll build up as a starter during spring training, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The left-hander found success out of the bullpen last season with a 3.69 ERA in 54 relief appearances, but he'll still get stretched out during camp. Liberatore pointed out it's easier to pare down his workload later on compared to building up midseason, so he could still end up beginning the campaign in a relief role.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Serves up two homers in spot start
Rotowire
Liberatore allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Marlins on Wednesday.
Liberatore was pressed into a spot start after Kyle Gibson (back) was a late scratch. This was one day after Liberatore was charged with a blown save after allowing a run in two-thirds of an inning. The southpaw yielded solo home runs to Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez in the first inning. Liberatore has a 4.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 28:15 K:BB over 38.1 innings over 26 appearances (four starts) this season, though he's mainly operated out of the bullpen as the Cardinals have tried to find one steady role for him. It's unclear at this time if Liberatore would be a candidate to start again should Gibson require a stint on the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Not expected to start this weekend
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that Liberatore is unlikely to start Saturday versus the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The Cards have gone back and forth on the best role for Liberatore, and the team's brain trust seems to have now settled on deploying the young left-hander out of the bullpen, where he had some success early on in the season. Andre Pallante and Zack Thompson are considered the leading candidates to start Saturday.
