Central STL News

ST. LOUIS -- Left-hander Matthew Liberatore delivered a strong performance on Wednesday night, helping the St. Louis Cardinals secure a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Busch Stadium in the final game of their three-game series.

Liberatore pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven batters, earning his first win since June 29. The outing marked his 50th career MLB start and was notable for his effective use of both his curveball and slider, which kept Athletics hitters off balance.

“That was fun, and I love when I can punch some guys out,” Liberatore said after the game. “And I feel like I had more to give if I had been able to stay in that game. So, I felt like I left that game in a good spot.”

Third baseman Nolan Gorman, who has been friends with Liberatore since childhood in Phoenix, played a key role both offensively and defensively. Gorman homered in the seventh inning as part of a three-hit night and made two important defensive plays late in the game.

“It’s always fun playing behind him and trying to supply runs for him,” Gorman said about Liberatore. “He pitched great tonight and it was great to see. I’m happy for him.”

Gorman’s home run marked the ninth time he has hit one during a Liberatore start; Liberatore is undefeated (4-0) in those games.

Willson Contreras also contributed with three hits and four RBIs. He noted Gorman's progress at third base this season, especially on throws from that position compared to second base, where Gorman played earlier this year.

“I almost took a screen recording of that play and sent it to [10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado] to ask him if there’s any way to make it a little easier on me,” Gorman joked about one challenging defensive stop he made late in the game. “After going back and looking at it, I think I could have made it a little bit easier. But I feel good coming in on that ball and making a strong throw.”

Liberatore worked out of trouble early by striking out Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler in the second inning, then fanning Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz in the third. He mixed six different pitches throughout his outing—four resulted in swings-and-misses on his curveball alone—as he lowered his season ERA to 4.15.

“The more weapons, the better. And the more offerings that they have to respect, those are things that they can’t count out,” Liberatore said about expanding his pitching repertoire. “I think that makes [all of his pitches] play up. So, having both of those breaking balls tonight was awesome.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised Liberatore's approach: “Not only holding the [velocity], but the slider was a really good pitch for him. The shape of it was a lot closer to what we wanted. He mixed well, especially against a lineup that threw a decent amount of righties against him and he navigated it well.” Marmol also mentioned Yadier Molina will join as guest coach over the weekend.

Liberatore snapped an 0-5 streak with four no-decisions between wins while matching or surpassing some personal bests from earlier this season.

“I’ve seen him do this pretty much my whole life,” Gorman said after celebrating with his longtime friend postgame."So, seeing him get the opportunity to show he can do this, it’s really cool. He’s been given a very good opportunity this year and he’s made the most of it.”