Through three innings, Matthew Liberatore was perfect. But a two-run homer that traveled a Statcast-projected 442 feet—the longest at Busch Stadium in 2025—derailed his start as the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Colorado Rockies, 3-0, on Tuesday night.
FINAL: #Rockies 3, #STLCards 0
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 13, 2025
WP: Kyle Freeland (3-12)
LP: Matthew Liberatore (6-10)
S: Victor Vodnik (3)
Series: COL 1, STL 1; season: COL 3-2
STL: 5 hits, four Ks; shut out for fourth time after All-Star break
COL: Hunter Goodman 442-foot HR longest at Busch Stadium in '25
“It was great until it wasn’t,” Liberatore said, per MLB.com’s John Denton.
That quote could encapsulate the left hander’s season thus far, too. After transitioning from reliever to starter back in Spring Training, Liberatore began the year with a solid 3.70 ERA through 17 starts. Since then, he’s carried a 5.95 ERA over his last five starts, where he’s failed to reach more than 4.1 innings.
A possible reason for Liberatore’s recent slump? A dip in velocity. Per Denton, his pitches lost speed in the fourth inning when three consecutive Rockies reached base. His four-seam fastball reached a maximum of 95.4 MPH on Tuesday but fell to as low as 91.7, per Baseball Savant.
“I felt awesome through the first three innings, and then [velocity] dropped again and guys started taking better swings,” Liberatore said. “The way I was rolling through the first three innings, I felt like I could have thrown the whole game. I feel bad that I keep putting it on the bullpen and they keep having to come in and pick me up, and they’ve done a fantastic job of that. But that’s not who I want to be.”
Liberatore was pulled after he allowed the first two batters in the fifth to reach, one of which came around to score. He was charged with all three runs in the game.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake gave Liberatore time off during the All-Star break and a week afterward, per Denton. But his velocity is still a work in progress, putting his starting role in jeopardy.
“I don’t know if there’s anything I’ve ever wanted to do more than be a big league starter,” he said. “So, I don’t know if I could want [to be a reliever] anymore.”