Matthew Liberatore lasted just 1.2 innings on Thursday as he got dominated by the Kansas City bats. He gave up seven runs on 48 pitches, making it his shortest and most expensive outing of the year. The St. Louis Cardinals ultimately lost in a massive 14-6 blowout.

The Royals made contact on 19 of their 23 swings facing Liberatore. During his second inning, the average exit velocity was over 100 mph. After taking full responsibility for the crushing defeat, the 26-year-old was completely disheartened.

“Just felt like every turn I made there was another barrel standing there, and every decision I made was the wrong one,” Liberatore said after the game. “The loss is on me.”

The Cardinals gave him a 2-0 lead in the very first inning, and Liberatore looked decent initially, allowing just one run through a homer. But then came his second inning. He allowed six runs through four doubles. He recorded just five outs, allowing seven hits and seven runs. And the Cardinals never recovered from their. In fact, the pitchers that entered the mound after him gave away seven more runs. But the 26-year-old put it all on himself. 

“I put the bullpen in a bad situation. We jump out to a lead, and I go out and squander it. Just not a good way to create momentum for the team,” he added.

This was the second-most expensive outing his career. Ironically, his biggest loss was also against the Royals. Last June, he gave up eight hits and seven earned runs while taking 71 pitches to strike out just two batters. The Cardinals lost 7-5. However, the 14-6 blowout seems far worse because of how quickly he was pulled from the game.

Matthew Liberatore’s 2026 was never elite. But he was still serviceable recording a 3.98 ERA. He had 57 Ks from 62.0 innings. But in June alone, he has a 10.45 ERA over just three starts. 

Cardinals playoff push leaves little room for rotation problem

St. Louis is second in the NL Central with a 40-33 record. They are 1.5 games ahead in the Wild Card chase. But they might not be as safe as they look since the Cubs are just two games behind and breathing down their necks. 

The other Cardinals starters, like Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante, look to be in good shape. McGreevy has been quite consistent and has a 2.99 ERA this season. Pallante has an 8-4 record with a 3.76 ERA. 

Dustin May has similar numbers and is leading the team with 75 strikeouts. Kyle Leahy is the least effective among the four, but he is adjusting well to his full-time starting role. 

But if you zoom out, the overall picture is a bit concerning. The Cardinals are 17th in the league in ERA and 28th in strikeouts. Matthew Liberatore might have the worst numbers, but the rotation isn’t extraordinary either.

And that’s what makes his slump more alarming. If his poor outings persist, the rotation might not be able to absorb that for too long. The Cardinals have so far managed to avoid an extended collapse. But their loss to the Kansas City Royals put an extra stain on the bullpen. And it highlighted how little their margin of error is.