The St. Louis Cardinals have battled injuries up and down their roster, but the starting rotation took a huge loss recently. Lefthander Steven Matz was placed on the injured list on May 3 and now isn’t expected back until June.
In his absence, fellow lefty Matthew Liberatore has moved from the bullpen to assume a starting role. the 24-year-old has gone 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA through his first 15 appearances of 2024. Two of those outings were starts.
Since being acquired in 2020, the 24-year-old Liberatore has moved from reliever to the rotation throughout his career. However, after playing catch with teammate Sonny Gray during spring training, the veteran offered some advice that might help him eventually stick as a starter.
Gray suggested that Liberatore add a cut fastball to his pitching repertoire. He said a slight change to his slider would give him a cutter to play off the sinker he already throws to righthanded hitters. Since then, Liberatore has slowly worked the new pitch into his gameplan on the mound.
Adding a Pitch to Liberatore’s Repertoire
In a report from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Libertore discussed Gray’s suggestion and how he’s been using his new pitch in game situations.
“For me, it’s no different than adding in a quick pitch or a hesitation,” Liberatore said. “I think we’ve seen bits and pieces and flashes of it out of the bullpen. But I think going multiple times through the lineup with right-handed batters, that’s going to be the good pitch for me. Any time you add another weapon to the toolbox, it’s always beneficial.”
Sonny Gray was working his way back from a hamstring injury.
Matthew Liberatore was looking for someone to play catch.
Gray volunteered.
He saw lefty’s slider.
What happened next is part of why #stlcards are considering Liberatore for more starts:
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol says he sees the difference the pitch has made to Liberatore’s arsenal. He also commented on what role he envisions for the lefthander down the stretch.
“The cutter is a real player for him, especially as a starter,” Marmol said. “It can be a pitch that allows him to go through a lineup a couple times. And even if there are righties in there, (he’ll) have something that’s coming into them.”
“We like him as a reliever. We have a need at the moment… If we kept him in the starting rotation, I think we’re going to see a really good version of him the more times you send him out there. Obviously, you see what he does in the bullpen. He was starting to settle in, feel at home there.”
“He competed,” Marmol stated. “Especially not being able to throw a bullpen like a regular starter in between starts and work on something and command the baseball and be ready to start. We’re asking him to do multiple things, which is very difficult for anybody to do, let alone a young guy to do it. He handled it extremely well.”
Cardinals Being Careful With Matz
Matz has been sidelined since May 3 with a back strain, and lingering pain after a mound session May 10 resulted in him receiving a second pain-killing injection, according to MLB.com’s John Denton. He also notes that Oliver Marmol commented on the injury, saying that Matz is a “no throw” for another week, meaning he will return at the beginning of June, at the earliest.
Matz last pitched on April 30 while battling back stiffness and pain, and surrendered four earned runs over 3 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals have rebounded after being mired in an eight-game losing streak at the beginning of the month. They recently reeled off three straight victories to bring their record to 18-24 through their first 42 games. They will return to Busch Stadium on May 17 for a nine-game homestand against the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs, respectively.
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Cardinals’ Sonny Gray Offered Fellow Pitcher Some Helpful Advice During Spring Training