![[object Object] Logo](https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2020/04/22/e9ceb731-8b3f-4c60-98fe-090ab66a2997/screen-shot-2020-04-22-at-11-04-56-am.png)
Next Game
Now Playing
Share Video
Link copied!
Top Matthew Liberatore News
-
![]()
-
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Will get 'long runway' in rotation
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Sunday that Liberatore will receive "a long runway to figure out what he can do" in the rotation, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The Cardinals will operate with a modified six-man rotation at the beginning of the season, with Liberatore part of it and Steven Matz pitching in relief for now before making a start on April 16. Michael McGreevy nearly won a rotation spot and looms at Triple-A Memphis, but it sounds as if Liberatore will be given a long leash in the rotation. The left-hander has a career 3.89 ERA as a reliever versus a 5.86 ERA as a starter.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Beginning season in rotation
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: Expected to open season in bullpen
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Thursday that Liberatore is likely to open the season in the bullpen, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Liberatore has been stretched out this spring and has pitched well, allowing just two runs with a 5:2 K:BB over 9.2 innings. However, while the Cardinals are not ruling out the left-hander making starts for them in the future, Liberatore has a much clearer path to opportunities in relief. The southpaw has a career 3.89 ERA as a reliever versus a 5.86 ERA as a starter.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Impressing early on this spring
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Liberatore appears to be "on a mission" with how good he's looked so far this spring, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Liberatore has retired all 12 batters he's faced across his two Grapefruit League appearances, notching a pair of strikeouts. The left-hander has a career 3.89 ERA as a reliever versus a 5.86 ERA as a starter but is being stretched out this spring as the Cardinals consider the best role for the left-hander. At the moment, Liberatore appears to be, at best, seventh in St. Louis' starting pitcher hierarchy, so it might take an injury or two for him to be under real consideration for a rotation spot. However, he believes he's "a starter at heart" and is doing his best to convince the Cardinals he can handle that role.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Prepping as starter
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: Takes loss Saturday
Liberatore (3-4) allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out two over one inning, taking the loss Saturday versus the Giants. He did not issue a walk.
Liberatore gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Cardinals weren't able to make a comeback. Over his last 13 innings, Liberatore has allowed nine runs (eight earned) with a 10:4 K:BB. He's filled a number of roles this year with mediocre results, pitching to a 4.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB across 86 innings spanning 60 outings (six starts).
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Collects third win
Liberatore (3-3) allowed one walk and struck out three over three scoreless and hitless innings to earn the win Friday over the Royals.
Liberatore allowed nine runs over his first 3.2 innings following the All-Star break, but he's bounced back with 6.2 scoreless innings and a 9:2 K:BB over his four appearances in August. The southpaw has been a multi-inning reliever and occasional spot starter for the Cardinals this year. He's now at a 4.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 53:22 K:BB through 62.1 innings, but it doesn't look like he'll find a path to a regular starting role any time soon.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Shaky in spot start
Liberatore (2-3) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up five runs on four hits and three walks over three-plus innings as the Cardinals were downed 5-0 by the Pirates. He struck out three.
The southpaw got a spot start at the end of a stretch of six games in five days for St. Louis, but Liberatore hadn't pitched since July 14 and looked rusty as Pittsburgh ambushed him for four runs in the second inning, before he served up a solo shot to Rowdy Tellez to lead off the fourth. Liberatore tossed 69 pitches (43 strikes) before exiting, which will leave him unavailable out of the bullpen for a few more days. Through 55 innings this season, he carries a 4.75 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 44:20 K:BB.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Drawing start Wednesday
Liberatore will start Wednesday's game against the Pirates at PNC Park, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
St. Louis already boasts a healthy five-man rotation, but Liberatore will be called upon for a spot start Wednesday since a doubleheader over the weekend created a stretch of six games in five days for the Cardinals. Liberatore hadn't been used out of the bullpen in any of the Cardinals' first five games of the second half, so he should be well rested and capable of giving the club a decent amount of length for what will be his sixth start of the season. Over his previous five starts, Liberatore has turned in a 5.03 ERA and 18:5 K:BB across 19.2 innings.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Back in bullpen
Liberatore allowed a hit over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief during Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Pirates.
Liberatore was called on for a spot start in a doubleheader June 26, throwing 85 pitches in that outing. He was not expected to stick in the rotation, and he's predictably not listed among the starters for the Cardinals' next turn through the rotation. Liberatore will likely remain in a long-relief role. He's been solid this year with a 3.72 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB over 46 innings across 28 appearances (five starts).
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Steps up in win
Liberatore (2-2) earned the win over Atlanta in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out eight over six scoreless innings.
Liberatore threw 85 pitches (54 strikes) in his longest outing of the season, which also earned him his first quality start. It was an impressive showing for the southpaw, as it was initially believed the Cardinals would be putting together a bullpen game for the nightcap. Liberatore had allowed three runs over his previous 4.1 innings entering Wednesday. He's now at a 3.86 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 36:16 K:BB through 44.1 innings over 27 appearances (five starts). Liberatore will likely return to a relief role soon unless the Cardinals opt to include him in a six-man rotation.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Starting second game Wednesday
Liberatore will start the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus Atlanta, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Liberatore's last appearance was a spot start a week ago, and he went 3.2 innings and threw 48 pitches against the Marlins. Based on the workload he handled versus Miami, Liberatore should be capable of going at least that long in Wednesday's outing, though the St. Louis bullpen will certainly be needed to cover multiple innings.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Serves up two homers in spot start
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: Getting spot start Wednesday
Liberatore will start Wednesday's game in Miami in place of the injured Kyle Gibson (back), Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Gibson was a late scratch, forcing the Cardinals to turn to Liberatore, who threw 12 pitches and allowed one run over two-thirds of an inning in a relief appearance during Tuesday's loss to the Marlins. Liberatore has made three starts for St. Louis this season, but his last one came a month ago. He hasn't thrown more than 23 pitches in an appearance since then and will be going on zero days' rest Wednesday, so he'll presumably be in store for an abbreviated outing.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Throws bullpen session
Liberatore threw a bullpen session ahead of Wednesday's action against the Orioles, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Following last weekend's start against the Red Sox, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Liberatore wasn't likely to start Saturday versus the Cubs. However, the left-hander's bullpen session could indicate a change of plan, since it wouldn't make much sense to have a regular reliever make himself unavailable on a day during which St. Louis had to complete Tuesday's suspended game in addition to Wednesday's regularly scheduled contest. It remains to be seen who actually starts for the Cardinals on Saturday, but Liberatore seems to still be in the mix, at least.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Not expected to start this weekend
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.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Role now being reconsidered
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol conceded after Liberatore's start Sunday versus the Red Sox that the team is now considering moving the lefty back to the bullpen, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Marmol had said previously that the club wanted to commit to Liberatore's role, which it did Friday in saying the southpaw would start Sunday and remain in the rotation indefinitely. However, following another unsuccessful, abbreviated start (three-plus innings, four runs), the Cards are now reconsidering the plan for Liberatore. If Liberatore does return to a relief role -- which would appear likely at this point -- it's not clear who St. Louis would slide into the rotation in his place.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Continues to struggle
Liberatore (1-2) suffered the loss Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk over three innings. He struck out three.
Liberatore struggled through three-plus innings Sunday, allowing a first inning solo homer to former teammate Tyler O'Neill. Liberatore started the fourth with the game still at 2-0 , but he was pulled after allowing a run-scoring double to Romy Gonzalez, who later scored to add a fourth run to Liberatore's line. The 24-year-old lefty has struggled over his last four appearances, including three starts, allowing 11 runs over 10.1 innings. With the return of Steven Matz looming, Liberatore's stay in the Cardinals' rotation appears to be coming to an end.
... See More ... See Less -
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Slated to start Sunday
Liberatore will start Sunday's game against the Red Sox in St. Louis.
Liberatore will start for the third time in four appearances, filling the rotation spot that remains open while Steven Matz (back) is on the injured list. Though the Cardinals will keep Liberatore in a starting role for now, he likely won't have an especially long leash if he struggles Sunday. In both of his other two starts this season, Liberatore has compiled a 6.43 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across seven innings.
... See More ... See Less
Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-4, 200 lbs |
| Birthplace: Peoria, AZ |
| Age: 25 |
| Experience: 3 |
| Bats/Throws: L, L |