Liberatore cruises – The Cardinals jumped on Cubs starter Jordan Wicks immediately, then stretched a 5-1 series finale win into a comfortable cruise for Matthew Liberatore, with Hunter Dobbins finishing cleanly after a rocky first pitch to Alex Bregman.
ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals didn’t wait for the moment to arrive. They seized it from the first swing.
Needing to tap into a relentless approach at the plate after a disappointing one-run effort on Saturday, St. Louis showed up with purpose in Sunday’s 5-1 win in the series finale against the Cubs. The message was there almost immediately: after three straight hits to lead off the bottom of the first. the Cardinals charged Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks and kept the pressure on.
Wicks couldn’t survive the early barrage. He allowed three earned runs over a brief two-plus-inning appearance, and the Cardinals’ offense stayed aggressive through the opening frames.
The defensive look behind it was unusual, but intentional. Recently recalled slugger Nelson Velázquez got his first opportunity to play in the outfield in left. while José Fermín made his first start of the season in center field. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol stacked right-handed bats with the idea of blitzing Wicks. and the lineup’s early execution did the rest.
Craig Counsell’s third-inning pivot to right-hander Ethan Roberts didn’t slow the Redbirds. Masyn Winn punctuated a three-run third inning with a two-run single, extending Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore’s lead to 5-0.
Liberatore’s strikeout totals had been recently gaudy, but they came down to earth Sunday. Even so, he delivered a comprehensive outing, navigating 5 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball before turning the ball over to Hunter Dobbins with one out in the sixth.
Marmol had acknowledged that it would be ideal to get Dobbins. a starter by trade. into the game with a clean inning. Still, he brought him in with nobody on base. The relief routine didn’t seem to settle immediately for the freshly recalled 26-year-old: Dobbins allowed a home run to the first batter he faced. Alex Bregman.
After that jolt, he calmed everything down. Dobbins finished the game as the only reliever needed on the night, providing 11 valuable outs to spell an otherwise beleaguered bullpen.
The timing mattered because the Cardinals’ starters had already needed to carry extra weight across the series. With starters Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy combining to provide just 7 1/3 innings across the first two games. Dobbins’ ability to get outs right when the margin tightened came at exactly the right moment.
By the end, it was a rubber-game win that felt earned early—then carried cleanly all the way through.
Cardinals Cubs Liberatore Hunter Dobbins Jordan Wicks Nelson Velázquez José Fermín Masyn Winn Alex Bregman Ethan Roberts
So basically the Cubs got wrecked in the first inning again… shocker.
I didn’t even know Liberatore was pitching like that right now. Also why is Nelson Velázquez in left field? Don’t they have, idk, better options?
Dobbins gave up a homer to Bregman but then “calmed down”?? That’s baseball for you I guess. Still, I feel like Cardinals lucked into the lineup matchup or whatever. Didn’t the article say Cubs had some pivot to Ethan Roberts?? Like who even is that.
Win 5-1 and “cruised” but they still let a HR happen… so was it really a cruise? Also I swear Jordan Wicks is always getting hammered early, seems like he’s cursed or something. Cardinals offense came out swinging, but then it says starters needed to carry weight across the series… so which is it, strong pitching or just weak Cubs? Either way Go Cards I guess.