ST. LOUIS -- The conversation happening surrounding Matthew Liberatore inside the walls of the Cardinals clubhouse at Busch Stadium is vastly different than the one taking place outside of them.
On the exterior, the public approaches the Libby conversation as though it is an open question, every five days, whether or not the struggling lefty will take the ball on his next turn for the big league team.
The team doesn’t see it that way.
In fact, the Cardinals appear to be full steam ahead with working to guide Liberatore through these troubled waters to get him to the other side as a productive member of the starting rotation.
To the point that, when Oliver Marmol was asked Thursday about the possibility of the Cardinals seeking alternative solutions to propel Liberatore forward, the manager reiterated another example of the club’s desire to avoid shortcuts in this situation.
Would the Cardinals consider an opener ahead of Liberatore’s appearances?
“We’re going to think about every option possible,” Marmol said. “Are we entertaining that for his next outing? The answer’s no.”
It’s not that Marmol rejects outright the notion that doing so could lead to the potential for a better outcome within the confines of that particular game. But that’s also not the only thing the Cardinals are measuring.
“I think when you talk about developing him, you have to stay the course of doing that,” Marmol said. “Developing him. If you’re asking me strategically, to nothing matters but winning the next ball game, then I think that’s a different conversation.”
So, Marmol acknowledges the notion of a conceivable strategic benefit to using an opener for a struggling starter. In general, an opener provides a scenario where the starter -- or bulk relief pitcher -- could start his outing with a less potent portion of the opposing lineup, therefore buying him additional innings before having to see that dangerous group of hitters for a third time.
The team could, theoretically, get more length out of that starter in the event that the pitcher is able to handle the rigors of the third time through a less lethal part of the order. The manager could then go back to the bullpen before exposing that pitcher to the opposition’s top three hitters the third time around.
Instead of facing 18 plate appearances before seeing the other team’s 1-2-3 hitters a third time, triggering a decision point as the pitcher wears down, that primary pitcher could start elsewhere in the lineup, and possibly face 24 plate appearances without being exposed to those top hitters for a third time.
But again. Maxing out to win that day’s game is not the only thing under consideration for the Cardinals in 2026. Chaim Bloom has spoken at length about the process -- for the Cardinals, the current stretch with Liberatore falls within those parameters.
“For what we’re trying to currently solve for, I don’t think it gives you any more insight," Marmol continued on the opener topic. “Strategically, I get it… I love the conversations we get to have as a staff, because you beat up any possibility. But you have to stay true to -- I love how Chaim put it, coming across wins and success honestly.
“There’s a way of doing it where you can get there and feel, in the moment, better about it. But I’m not sure if it serves the long-term purpose of what you’re trying to actually do.
“So, as a staff, we need to figure out how to get him there.”
The next opportunity to do so is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30 in Atlanta.