Mathews dazzles in home debut for first MLB win

ST. LOUIS -- Though Cardinals No. 8 prospect Quinn Mathews had gotten his feet wet at the big league level with a few starts over the past several weeks, Friday night at Busch Stadium was his first chance to pitch in front of the home crowd.

As evidenced by the applause when he walked off the field during a pitching change with two outs in the sixth, he made the most of his Busch Stadium debut.

Flashing his dynamic swing-and-miss arsenal, Mathews matched his previous high with seven strikeouts. The efficiency, though, was the key element that saw a marked improvement as Mathews was able to limit the damage -- both in terms of the batted balls against him and the freebies issued by him -- to produce the most impactful start of his fledgling MLB career.

Mathews pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run baseball on Friday, guiding the Cardinals to a 4-1 win in the series opener against the Pirates for his first Major League win.

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That meant the customary spin in the laundry cart -- and being sprayed with the accompanying kitchen liquids.

“I’m smelling remnants of hotdogs right now,” Mathews said. “I believe that would be the ketchup and mustard in my hair currently, so we’ll definitely be trying to shampoo and condition again later.”

The rookie left-hander was an out away from completing six innings when Nick Gonzales beat him for a base hit, triggering the move to the bullpen from manager Oliver Marmol with the upstart right-handed slugger Rafael Flores Jr. due up.

Amid a taxing stretch of baseball for the St. Louis bullpen, it was Ryan Fernandez who drew the critical assignment. He ultimately struck out Flores Jr. looking to end the sixth, ensuring Mathews’ pitching line would carry just one earned run.

Mathews permitted five hits, half the number he surrendered in his prior start in Philadelphia, and walked only one batter.

“That’s a big part of it, just being on the attack,” Marmol said. “Being efficient with what he’s doing. He threw some, I would say, more competitive two-strike pitches as well that didn’t make the at-bats longer than they needed to be.”

Mathews' ability to work deep into the sixth before passing the baton after his 102nd pitch was significant.

With the relief corps still playing from behind on availability, Fernandez’s night didn’t end after he recorded that final out of the sixth -- far from it.

He disposed of two pinch-hitters in a tidy seventh and earned two more outs in the eighth to bridge the gap to the final stages of the game.

Mainstay relievers Luis Gastelum, George Soriano and Riley O’Brien all needed a respite following appearances on back-to-back days ahead of Friday night’s game, rendering Fernandez’s provision essential to the win.

“I’m not sure how we get through it unless he gives us that type of outing,” Marmol said flatly. “He did a really nice job tonight. … What Fernandez did was a big key to this game.”

The first and most substantial piece of run support for Mathews came courtesy of his batterymate’s bat. Catcher Jimmy Crooks blasted his fifth home run of the season, a rocket out to right field to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

A fellow rookie who carries distinct familiarity with Mathews from their dual rise through the farm system in recent years, Crooks was seemingly the ideal backstop to shepherd Mathews through his first start at Busch.

“I mean, we’ve had a relationship since Springfield,” Crooks said. “So, it’s definitely cool to be a small part of that little special moment for him.”

On the field, Crooks was an important contributor to Mathews’ milestone. In the clubhouse afterward, he stirred the pot, insisting that he still calls the shots when it comes to decisions for the duo’s shared fantasy football team.

For his part, Mathews indicated he was fine with that arrangement, content to be along for the ride.

Other than the condiments still nestled in his follicles, Mathews wasn’t going to find much to complain about on a night like this one.

“When you think of debuting, for me, whatever reason, it was always at Busch. It wasn’t on the road in Toronto,” Mathews said. “And I was like, all right, maybe game two? But it took me four games to get here, so it was definitely special to finally get to throw in front of the home fans and put together a quality outing.”