St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
As the St. Louis Cardinals continue to look for ways to climb up the rankings in the National League Central, a change in the rotation is coming.
Matthew Liberatore is expected to make his 2023 MLB debut on Wednesday night as the St. Louis Cardinals wrap up a series with the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. The 23-year-old left-hander started seven games for the Cardinals last season, and looks to be a part of a temporary six-man rotation in a stretch of home games between the Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers this week.
Those games are part of a run that has St. Louis playing every day until their next scheduled off day on May 31.
St. Louis Cardinals rumors: What does the pitching shuffle mean?
With Liberatore sliding into the start on Wednesday, St. Louis will push Adam Wainwright back into a start on Thursday night to kick off a four-game series against the Dodgers. It will be the third start of the season for the 41-year-old Wainwright, who has struggled in his first two starts, posting a 7.20 ERA and 1.700 WHIP. However, there is some good news for Cardinals fans as Wainwright’s FIP stands at 5.10, indicating he might have encountered some bad luck in his previous outings.
Exactly how long the six-man rotation will remain is unclear, but the Cardinals are still looking for answers for a rotation that enters Wednesday ranked 27th in MLB with minus-1.7 bWAR this season.