The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff was already showing signs of strain heading into a difficult stretch of schedule.
Its challenge got even greater after rain postponed Wednesday’s home game against the Kansas City Royals. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader Thursday at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals will play 12 games in the next 11 days. They have lost three of their last four games while allowing 29 runs in those defeats.
St. Louis will start Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.90 ERA) in Game 1 Thursday and left-hander Matthew Liberatore (3-4, 3.08) in Game 2. The Royals will counter with left-hander Noah Cameron (2-1, 1.05) and Cole Ragans (2-3, 4.53).
Mikolas is coming off his second-worst start of the season, a no-decision on May 28 against the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed four runs on nine hits in four innings.
He blanked the Royals on two hits and two walks over six innings on May 17. He struck out four. Mikolas is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four starts against them.
Liberatore will look to rebound from his worst start since April 7. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in five innings during an 11-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday.
“The breaking ball wasn’t what we’ve seen in the past,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He felt like he was finding himself a little bit. Just overall command wasn’t what we’ve seen in the last several outings, but this guy has done a really nice job. You’re going to have outings like that. He fought through it, and towards the end, did a much better job.”
Liberatore hopes to learn from the adjustments he made on the fly during that game.
“I think you try and take away something from every start,” he said. “Today, probably a few more things than some of the previous ones.”
He held the Royals to one run on six hits in six innings on May 18, in a game Kansas City eventually won 2-1. That was Liberatore’s only career start against the Royals. Overall, he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against them.
Cameron has pitched into the seventh inning in all four of his starts this season. He earned a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in his last start while allowing one run on six hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.
He lost 1-0 to the Cardinals on May 17, in his only previous outing against them. He held them to two hits while striking out three and walking none.
The Royals will return Ragans to active duty for Game 2. Ragans was placed on the 15-day injured list May 17 with a left groin strain that he suffered while facing the Cardinals the day before.
He struck out seven and walked none in five innings in that game, but he allowed four runs on five hits.
Ragans made one rehabilitation start for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings while throwing 63 pitches — 43 for strikes.
After breaking out offensively for a 10-7 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday, the Royals will look for more production from a revamped batting order that includes top prospect Jac Caglianone.
“Where I would caution him is, he’s not a savior to this offense,” Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino said, according to MLB.com. “Nor should he think he is. Nor should anybody think he is. That’s like the most unfair thing you can do to somebody. He just needs to come into this lineup and be his best self.”
–Field Level Media
