TORONTO -- All weekend, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol stressed the need for a timely hit. For two games, St. Louis put runners on base but struggled to cash them in. That finally changed in Sunday’s 5-1 win.
José Fermín delivered the breakthrough base hit, lining a go-ahead single up the middle in the ninth inning to snap a 1-1 tie, though the rally started quietly before that.
Masyn Winn worked a leadoff walk against Louis Varland, the typically steady Blue Jays closer, before Bryan Torres grounded a single into right field to put runners on the corners. That set the stage for Fermín.
Marmol loved his team’s tight, simple approach against the flamethrower Varland -- specifically the patience to work a walk and get some early traffic.
“That's what good teams learn to do,” Marmol said. “Once there's a tight game, [they] make a mistake, you’ve got to be able to cash in.”
St. Louis kept pouring it on from there, adding a run on a Blue Jays error before Jordan Walker ripped a two-run single to chase Varland. After the scuffling Cardinals offense collected 11 hits but scored just once Saturday, the four-run ninth provided a much-needed jolt.
“Today we were able to drive in a couple there late,” said Marmol. “And we had opportunities earlier in the game that we [missed]. So it was good to be able to capitalize on it later.”
And before the late rally, a familiar tune played out at Rogers Centre, as the Cardinals' starting pitching delivered another gem. This time, the offense provided just enough to make it count.
Starter Matthew Liberatore roared through the first inning of Sunday’s game by striking out three straight Blue Jays hitters. He stayed in control from there, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts.
“That was a fun one today,” Liberatore said. “Felt like I worked ahead of guys a lot better. And even when I wasn't throwing a first-pitch strike, I felt like I did a good job of getting myself back into the count, filling it up and putting pitches where I need to.”
Stuff has never been an issue for Liberatore, as the left-hander possesses front-of-the-rotation upside and strikeout ability, with an 8.8 K/9 this season entering Sunday. Instead, he’s been the victim of big innings, where leadoff men reach or command slips, and runs pour in.
There were very few missteps in Sunday’s outing, as Liberatore lowered his season ERA to 4.97. Notably, the 26-year-old struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. three times, leaving the Jays star visibly frustrated in the sixth inning.
Liberatore said he didn’t realize he’d whiffed Guerrero three times until fellow starter Michael McGreevy told him in the dugout. The young pitchers then took a moment to appreciate the accomplishment -- even if Liberatore didn’t notice in the moment.
“I think that's just a testament to how dialed in I was on the mound,” said Liberatore. “Just always moving on to the next pitch.”
As Sunday’s start carried on, Liberatore channeled a certain fearless feeling on the mound. He attacked the heart of Toronto’s order without hesitation, and it worked.
“There's just been times where I've tried to get too cute or too fine, trying to dot the black instead of just filling it up,” Liberatore said. “So that's definitely something I'd like to carry with me.”
Sunday’s win offered a repeatable blueprint for this young Cardinals team to follow. With a deep rotation, St. Louis can trust its pitchers to work deep, and if the offense maintains this smart approach, the runs -- and wins -- are bound to follow.