Matthew Liberatore Fans Career-High Eight Against Braves
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore recorded eight strikeouts without allowing a run across six innings of work, picking up his second win of the year during his start against the Atlanta Braves in Wednesday's doubleheader. Drawing the start for the Cardinals on short notice in Game 2 of Wednesday's twin bill, Liberatore was stellar in what was easily his best display of the season. The 24-year-old left-hander has plenty of untapped potential; he was the top pitching prospect in St. Louis' farm system just three years ago. Although it's unclear how manager Oliver Marmol will elect to use Liberatore going forward, he's suddenly someone to monitor closely in fantasy leagues moving ahead. Liberatore now carries a 3.86 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 36 punchouts and 16 walks over 44 1/3 innings (five starts), tentatively lining up to start next week in a favorable spot on the road against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore will start Monday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Liberatore is primarily used as a reliever, but he has started one other game this season. He went 3 2/3 innings in that outing against the Chicago White Sox, giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old was once a top pitching prospect in the Cardinals season and has a five-pitch mix. His leash may not be overly long in Monday's start, but he is an alright streaming option against a Trout-less Angels offense.
St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Matthew Liberatore (illness) was unavailable for this past weekend's three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of an illness, but manager Oliver Marmol said that the hurler will rejoin the team on Monday for the start of the three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. Having not pitched since last Tuesday, it sounds like Liberatore is feeling better and should be available out of the bullpen on Monday. The 24-year-old southpaw was the top pitching prospect in St. Louis' farm system not long ago, and while he's settling in as a key bullpen piece for the Cards, it's a far cry from the expectations he once garnered. Liberatore owns a solid 3.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings primarily working as a middle-reliever this year, which is a role that doesn't lend itself to very much fantasy appeal at the moment.
Cardinals Place Matthew Liberatore On Injured List
The St. Louis Cardinals placed left-hander Matthew Liberatore (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 19) on Tuesday with lower-back tightness and selected the contract of pitcher Jacob Barnes from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Liberatore's frustrating season in 2023 continues, as he'll now have to miss at least the next two weeks. His back issue cropped up in his last start on Aug. 16 and he apparently didn't recover enough to make his start this week. The 23-year-old southpaw is still young, but he's been a pretty big disappointment ever since St. Louis acquired him in the trade that sent All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays. Liberatore is 2-5 this year with a 6.12 ERA (4.47 FIP), 1.64 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 50 innings over 12 outings (11 starts).
St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore is making Thursday's start against Sonny Gray and the Minnesota Twins. The former top prospect has pitched 32 innings for the Cards this season, posting a 6.75 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 13.9% strikeout rate over nine games and eight starts, but hasn't been in the big leagues since July 5. With Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery off the roster, Liberatore should have a long-term spot on the roster, but he needs to display the talent that made him a first-round draft pick before he becomes fantasy relevant.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis while right-hander Kyle Leahy has been recalled in a corresponding move. Liberatore has struggled to find his footing in the big leagues to this point after debuting last season. Across 18 outings (15 starts) with the Cardinals, Liberatore owns a 6.35 ERA, including a 6.75 mark across nine appearances (eight starts) this season. While he owns an improved 4.70 FIP, the southpaw also sports a 5.57 SIERA and a weak 3.8% K-BB% across 32 innings of work. For his part, Leahy owns a 4.03 ERA across 28 appearances at Triple-A, 25 of which have come out of the bullpen.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to take the ball for the series finale in London on Sunday Originally, Jack Flaherty was scheduled to pitch, but he has been scratched due to hip tightness. That being said, Liberatore will take the ball against the red-hot Cubbies. The 23-year-old has struggled heavily during his six appearances with the Cardinals this season. He holds a 6.12 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and an 18/12 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option on Sunday.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore turned in a solid outing in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Giants. Liberatore pitched six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts. It was the 23-year-old's first quality start of his career and he now owns a 5.14 ERA with a 6.86 K/9 rate and 4.29 BB/9 rate in five appearances (four starts). It was an encouraging sign for fantasy managers, but things will not get easier for the prospect in his next scheduled start at the Mets. Fantasy managers should avoid starting him until he proves he can pitch well consistently at the big-league level.
Updating a previous report, St. Louis Cardinals left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will make his next start on Friday on the road against the Cleveland Guardians, according to the team. The Cardinals' No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, impressed with five shutout innings and six strikeouts in his major-league debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 17, but he struggled in his first relief appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Sunday. The 23-year-old southpaw has a chance to secure a regular rotation spot for the Red Birds with another solid outing on Friday, and he'll probably be a popular streaming option in fantasy in a plus matchup. The Guardians rank dead-last in the American League with a .643 OPS through 48 games.
Matthew Liberatore To Start This Weekend Against Guardians
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore will start one of the three games this weekend on the road against the Cleveland Guardians. Liberatore dazzled in his MLB debut in a start on May 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers, throwing five scoreless innings while walking three and striking out six. In last appearance (in relief) on May 21, he gave up two runs in an inning of work against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 23-year-old southpaw is the team's No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and should already be stashed in most fantasy leagues for his upside. It remains to be seen if he'll stick in St. Louis' rotation past this weekend, but he's certainly worth a look as a streamer in a plus matchup against Cleveland.
