The St. Louis Cardinals finally busted out of their offensive funk this week at Coors Field in Colorado, taking two out of three from the Colorado Rockies and improving to 5-7 on the year.
However, one issue that is still not fixed is their starting rotation.
While Jack Flaherty pitched well on Wednesday, St. Louis has only recorded one quality start.
That belongs to left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
But there may be some help on the way.
Left-hander Matthew Liberatore is pitching quite well in Triple-A Memphis and had another dominant start on Wednesday night, allowing just two runs over seven innings of work and striking out 10 batters.
Matthew Liberatore tonight:
– 7 PI, 2 ER, 10Ks
– 95.4 mph avg FB velo (up 1.7 mph)
– 38% whiff rate
– 33% oSwing%That brings his season ERA to 1.06 with 24 Ks in 17 innings.
He’s knocking on the door
—Blake Newberry (@bt_newberry) April 13, 2023
Liberatore also averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball.
With starters such as Jake Woodford, Steven Matz, and Miles Mikolas all struggling, the Cardinals have found themselves in need of some reinforcements.
While Woodford could still serve in a bullpen role, it’s hard to imagine the Cardinals keeping Liberatore down in Triple-A for much longer.
He’s been pitching well and is the team’s top pitching prospect, acquired in the Randy Arozarena deal.
The Cardinals will need their rotation to improve in order to get back to the top of the NL Central.
While it’s a little early to be thinking about trades, they could find help within the system to get them by until the trade deadline.
Adam Wainwright’s eventual return from the injured list will also certainly be a boon for the team.
Still, Liberatore may force some decisions for manager Oli Marmol and the Cardinals front office.
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