ARLINGTON, Texas — Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore felt he had Sam Haggerty “beat” on a 3-2 fastball placed at the top of the strike zone during their encounter in the second inning on Friday at Globe Life Field.
Liberatore was working with runners on first and second base, two outs in the frame, and with the Cardinals trailing 1-0 when Haggerty stepped in to face him. But rather than seeing the pitch he felt was going to help him escape a jam lead to an inning-ending out, Liberatore saw Haggerty line a double down the right field line for two RBIs after he had Haggerty in a 1-2 count two pitches prior.
The triple was followed by a two-run homer from Wyatt Langford that came on a 2-0 cutter. The back-to-back extra-bases hits put the Cardinals behind 4-0 in their 11-1 loss to Texas, it left Liberatore with a season-high five runs allowed (four of which were earned), and provided the 25-year-old starter with “plenty of takeaways” following five innings of work.
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“I think you try and take away something from every start,” Liberatore said. “Today, probably a few more things than some of the previous ones.”
Coming into Friday, Liberatore held a 2.73 ERA in 59 1/3 inning across 10 starts. He notched a quality start in three of his previous four outings and had surrendered five runs in that span. He had not allowed more than three runs in a single outing since he gave up five in 6 1/3 innings on April 7 vs. the Pirates.
But on Friday, an error in the first inning from shortstop Masyn Winn, which marked Winn’s first error of the season, allowed Haggerty to reach base. A wild pitch moved Haggerty into scoring position for Josh Jung to single him in. After the Rangers drove Liberatore’s pitch count to 42 through two innings, Liberatore completed his last three frames of Friday on 49 pitches. The 25-year-old kept Texas scoreless and to two hits and one walk before he was lifted from the Cardinals’ series-opening loss.
“I threw a lot of pitches in the first couple innings today,” Liberatore said. “I mean, I threw a lot of pitches in every inning, really, but I was happy to be able to get through five and not come out of that game in the second or third inning. I was fighting to go back out for one more. I would have loved to get through six there, but it’s just a continuous game of adjustments. Each time out, I try and get better at making those.”
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he did not want to tack an additional inning onto Liberatore’s workload despite seeing the left-hander make the adjustments needed to give his club at least five innings in a start for the ninth time this year.
“He (Liberatore) was a little bit more timed up,” Marmol said. “The breaking ball wasn’t what we’ve seen in the past. 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.”
In relief of Liberatore, rookie Gordon Graceffo allowed four runs in the sixth inning, all of which came on singles, and rookie Matt Svanson gave up two runs in the seventh inning on a home run by Marcus Semien.
The Cardinals’ lone run in the loss came on a double from Lars Nootbaar in the eighth inning. The Cardinals (32-25) were kept to three hits and struck out six times in 5 2/3 innings against Rangers starter Jack Leiter before scoring their only run of the series opener against reliever Caleb Boushley.
To give his club five innings and prevent what Marmol noted could have led the outing to “snowball,” Liberatore pointed to his more frequent use of his changeup as a factor. Thirteen of the 16 changeups Liberatore threw came after the second inning. That pitch led to four swings-and-misses and five called strikes. It aided him to four strikeouts over that span as he lacked the command of his curveball and had slight dips in his fastball and sinker velocities.
Liberatore, whose ERA jumped to 3.08 with the outing, said the adjustment to use his changeup more often came “an inning too late.” But it gave the lefty the Cardinals put in a spot to grow as a starter an option in his arsenal that helped him through three scoreless frames.
In the process, the mid-game adjustment provided a glimpse of where he has made strides from previous years.
“You look at the first inning, we make a mistake that leads to a run, and then they dump one in to right for two runs, and then the homer gets him. … Games like that tend to speed him up in the past,” Marmol said of Liberatore, who was handed his first losing decision since May 1. “He wanted to go back out for the sixth. He felt like he was actually starting to lock it in and timing it up. He felt better out there, but there’s a lot of growth in (Liberatore), and just the way he’s handled those type of innings.”
Photos: Cardinals are blitzed by Rangers in series opener
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter reacts after striking out St. Louis Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
The Rangers’ Corey Seager slides into second base as Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan throws to first for a double play during the fifth inning Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero, Associated Press
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, top, throws to first base for a double play against St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan (33) and Iván Herrera during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager throws to second base for a double play against St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and Iván Herrera during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers Sam Haggerty hits a triple scoring teammates Kyle Higashioka and Marcus Semien during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore reacts to giving up a home run to Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford (36) celebrates hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford hits a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Jake Burger (21) scores on a single by teammate Marcus Semien as St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo, left, and catcher Yohel Pozo look on during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Sam Haggerty takes off his batting helmet during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy walks on the field during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
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Texas Rangers outfielder Alejandro Osuna (19) fields a hit during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol jogs onto the field during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager stands on the field after flying out during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras reacts after taking a strike during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers pitcher Caleb Boushley throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers pitcher Caleb Boushley (70) celebrates the final out with teammate catcher Tucker Barnhart (18) in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien (2) celebrates his home run that also scored teammate Kyle Higashioka (11) during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alec Burleson waves toward first base after hitting Texas Rangers batter Alejandro Osuna with his first pitch during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
Cardinals Rangers Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) can’t reach the home by Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien as the ball clears the wall during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.
LM Otero – AP
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