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7:15 p.m.
LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 5.60) vs. RHP Luis Severino (1-2, 5.25)
BSM // MLB Network // KMOX // WIJRGame now at 6:15 pm Saturday due to Friday’s rainout.
How good do we think Liberatore will end up being.
He’s only 23, right? Does he have the stuff to be worth what the Cards gave up for him?
How long has he been in the Cards system? 3-4 years isn’t it?
Is he ultimately maybe a #3 or 4 starter?
ZTR – I think the answer to every question you asked is “yes”. But be patient with him. Let him pitch until about next May before you fully judge his results. He’s still young and improving. But yes, I see him as a future 2/3/4 starter which will have been worth the trade cost given how desperately we need starting pitching. I think Liberatore and Mikolas will be solid next year. It’s those other 3 spots that I’m worried about.
Libby was skipped over AA and then was basically a .500 pitcher in AAA. The irregular development path complicates projection. He doesn’t seem to have an out pitch and his stuff is not great. He relies on his control being on and effective use of his assortment of pitches. There is no way to know if he will become more consistent with those things, which is why chiseling him into the rotation is a craps shoot.
Tough to say on Libby. I like him – he has the physical presence and the tools to be really good. But that may be a couple years away. Right now, with the team in the dumpster, we need him to start every 5 games the rest of the year, get the experiences and reps, and start the maturation process on his career.
One problem is this manager is not a good handler of pitching roles. He pulls starters a bit too early quite often, but then leaves bullpen guys in a bit too long. But his worst trait is a practice of using relievers that had pitched the day before, and by passing on guys that were more rested. He is clearly not ready for prime time, and a factor in the club’s current standing.
Just a total meltdown that at this point is not just a bad stretch of games. This is probably an okay team, but woefully poorly managed. When you look at the talent from 5 years ago and see where it is today, it is even worse. How long can the exec’s let this go? Can they trust this management team to right the ship? They are not ready to change course now. My thought is they ride the season out, then assess in October. Ollie probably hangs on until the day after the season, when the announcement will be made that the club is going in a different direction.
My guess can only be based on what I’ve seen of the 62 innings of work he’s featured the last 2 seasons. Most of that work has been applied during 13 turns in the rotation. I’m reasonably certain I’ve watched all of those starts and he’s 3-4 with a 5.81 ERA in his short career. I was hoping he’d improve this season, but his numbers across the board in ’22 and so far in ’23 look almost identical. If you asked me if a guy who allows almost 6 runs per 9 IP’ed could remain a member of a 5 man for any significant amount of time, I’d have to say no unless that 5 man belonged to a team that wasn’t competitive. But who knows? He could very well feature a good season and end up with a lot of money just like Matz.
June’s swoon continues tonight, leading to an even hotter seat im July for the POBO and the field manager.
Libby has allowed way to much traffic all year and there is no particular reason to expect something different today. There is really nothing good about his stats this year however deep you look. But he might have a good game. Our offense might show up. We might flash solid defense despite the daily churn of defensive assignments. We might not run ourselves into outs. Contreras might block some errant pitches. Ollie might help more than he hurts. You just never know.
We might need all those “mights” to eke out a win, but what are the chances of that happening?
Last night’s game was an embarrassment for anyone associated with the Cards, including the fans. I’ve gotten calls from well-wishers….. not. More like ball-busters.
When doing it right every time all the time is not the ingrained culture, it comes down to hoping the “mights” all happen simultaneously. My guess is Mo’s organizational philosophy has run that culture out of town.
TBD on Libby, but I’m not overwhelmed by his pitches to date.
A 95-ish 4seamer he doesn’t spot well.
A decent enough curve, but it’s not in a class of whiffle ball curves like Austin Gomer showed here.
The slider and change-ups account for about 20% combined, so he’s a 2 pitch starter with no “plus” out pitch this season.
Will he improve? Might as well find out during this lost season.
RHP James Naile has been recalled from Memphis (AAA).
RHP Jake Woodford (right shoulder strain) has been placed on the 15-Day IL. pic.twitter.com/RGd4I6BrnC
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 30, 2023
1. Brendan Donovan (L) 3B
2. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
3. Lars Nootbaar (L) RF
4. Nolan Arenado (R) DH
5. Willson Contreras (R) C
6. Jordan Walker (R) LF
7. Nolan Gorman (L) 2B
8. Paul DeJong (R) SS
9. Tommy Edman (S) CFSame lineup that got shutout on 4 hits yesterday. Gorman and Donovan swap defensive positions.
We are watching real men of genius pulling the levers and pushing the buttons.
Debating the lineup is basically irrelevant since we usually get hit in the mouth with a six run deficit after the second or third inning or know in advance that the bullpen is going to blow whatever lead we cobble together. The offense is demoralized by the pitching staff.
Looks like The Nootz may have cemented himself into the 3 slot for a while. And on the defensive side, players may soon begin to man up into position only to discover they brought the wrong mitt. It’s the baseball equivalent of stump the band. I wouldn’t blame the fellas too much if they began to run to the opposing dugout at inning’s end.
Updated #STLCards lineup for tonight's game vs. the Yankees: https://t.co/UWzanop3Yp pic.twitter.com/n1M4RLEuRz
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 30, 2023
#STLCards utility ace Brendan Donovan was scratched from tonight’s starting lineup because of discomfort in his throwing arm. The injury has bothered him several days. He’s going for imaging on his arm today.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) June 30, 2023
Hopefully by now Flaherty and the other starters can admit that they don’t stink because of Contreras, they just stink. But that is not to say that Contreras is any good back there. His defense is terrible and what reason is there to think his game calling and pitcher management is any better? Lack of experience is not an issue. This is his 14th year in pro ball, counting the DSL, and surely the Cubs organization possessed the resources to intruct him as he came along and once in MLB. The instinctual part he obviously doesn’t possess in sufficient abundance. So in short, he’s not going to get better.
His 2016 WS ring proved he can succeed back there with a staff of veterans still performingat a high level. But that isn’t going to come into play here, now or ever. He is not the guy to be handling a young or struggling staff.
So now what? The sensible thing would be bring up Herrera or another promising catcher, and find out what we’ve got. Never happen. Management is not sensible. There is no future in DeJong, but he is out there every day to no good purpose. More nonsense piled on top of nonsense.
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