Oli Marmol admits defeat on bungled Cardinals rotation move
In the midst of a highly frustrating campaign, the St. Louis Cardinals found some momentum. And then that momentum came to a screeching halt in an all-too familiar way: Matthew Liberatore got a start.
Liberatore has been a capable reliever for the Cardinals, holding a 3.78 ERA in 13 appearances. Lately he's been moved into the rotation to fill in for the injured Steven Matz.
To say that experiment has been a disaster would be an understatement.
Matthew Liberatore’s 3 starts with the #STLCards this season:
— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) May 19, 2024
3.2 IP, 1 ER, 50 pitches, Cards lose 5-1
3.1 IP, 4 ER, 60 pitches, Cards win 10-4
3.0 IP, 4 ER, 70 pitches, Cards losing 9-1
The Cardinals bullpen has been tasked with covering 17 innings in those 3 starts.
On Sunday in the series finale with the Red Sox, Liberatore gave up four earned runs in three innings. It was his second-straight game putting his team in an 0-4 hole.
After the game, Oli Marmol conceded that the rotation needed to be reevaluated. Matz isn't going to be available to return after a setback but Liberatore isn't likely to continue as the fifth starter.
The Cardinals will re-evaluate the No. 5 starter role.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 19, 2024
Marmol: "Out of fairness to Libby as well. (He's) settling into a bullpen role well and doing a really nice job. He's filling a need for us and I appreciate the way he's handled it, because it's not an easy thing to do."
Matthew Liberatore experiment in Cardinals rotation is likely over
Matz's injury was always going to make things tricky for the Cardinals. Why St. Louis felt comfortable going into the season with just five real starting options (many of them aging) is a question only GM John Mozeliak can answer.
The Cardinals tried weakening their bullpen to fill the fifth spot. Predictably, the bullpen got worse and the stand-in fifth starter became a liability. It's past time to try something different.
The loss to the Red Sox doesn't have to end the STL hot streak. The bats have woken up and they'll be looking to build off of two straight series victories.
Unfortunately, it'll be more difficult to get wins over the next week with the Orioles and Cubs coming to town.
Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Miles Mikolas are scheduled to cover games through Friday but Saturday's battle with Chicago would be the next expected appearance for the fifth starter. If it's not Liberatore, it's tough to say who it would be.
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