The St. Louis Cardinals plan to expand their starting rotation to six men this week, as Steven Matz is slated to start Wednesday against the Houston Astros. So far this season Matz has been coming out of the bullpen. He will join Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante and Matthew Liberatore in the rotation going forward.
Cardinals to Begin Using Six-Man Rotation This Week
What Matz Brings to the Rotation
Matz has pitched 11 2/3 innings so far in 2025, all out of the bullpen. He has posted a 2.31 ERA with six strikeouts and a save, and hasn’t factored in the decision of any game. The 33-year-old has spent most of his major league career as a starter.
The left-hander is coming off an injury-plagued season in 2024. He had a 5.08 ERA in 12 appearances, seven of which were starts. In four years with St. Louis, Matz has had a 4.35 ERA. He will be the third left-handed starter in the Cardinals’ rotation, joining Pallante and Liberatore.
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol said the club is still planning to move LHP Steven Matz back to a starting role for a six-man rotation on April 16.
Roddery Munoz was moved from starting to relieving in the Minor Leagues to help the Cards bullpen absorb the loss of Matz.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 11, 2025
Matz could be a trade candidate this year, as the Cardinals already shopped him this offseason. He is in the final year of his contract. If he is to lure the attention of a contender by the trade deadline, the Cardinals likely hope he can post good numbers as a starter to make a deal more appealing. The Cardinals had circled mid-April as a start date for a six-man rotation before the season started, as the schedule got heavier. They hope this move will help keep all of their starters fresh.
Bullpen Becomes Smaller
While the Cardinals hope adding Matz to the rotation can help keep the starters fresh, it could stretch the bullpen thin. The Cardinals have a team ERA of 4.20 for their starters. Their bullpen ERA is 4.65, the seventh worst in the league. The Cardinals have managed to scrape together an 8-8 record, largely due to a potent offensive attack. It’s a stark change from last year, where most of the wins came from a stellar bullpen and decent starting rotation.
Matz was acting as a middle reliever this year. Three of his five appearances so far have been for more than two innings. It’s not clear who may take over that role in Matz’s stead, however, John Denton of MLB.com reported that Roddery Munoz was moved from a starter to the bullpen with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in preparation for this move. If the Cardinals are to make a roster move, they will have to decide if they want to make their bench shorter or keep their bullpen one man smaller.
This is the last series the #STLCards will have Steven Matz available in their bullpen. He will start on 4/16 against HOU, when the Cards will officially begin their six-man rotation. Asked Oli Marmol how an already taxed bullpen would work down a man.
“They’ll have to cover.”
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) April 11, 2025
The Cardinals bullpen has been asked to cover nearly four innings per game so far this season. Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that when she asked Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol about how the bullpen will absorb losing Matz, he told her, “They’ll have to cover.”
Up and Down Results for the Starters
So far, the Cardinals’ starting pitching performances have been a mixed bag. Pallante is leading the unit in ERA with a 2.20 mark. Gray is at 3.13, Liberatore is at 3.93, Fedde is at 4.20, and Mikolas has struggled most with a 9.00 ERA in just 13 innings pitched.
Gray has given up eight runs this season, but only one in his last two games. In his most recent outing, he pitched seven shutout innings in an 8-3 win over the Astros on Monday. Fedde was shelled for six runs in his second start of the season against the Boston Red Sox, giving up six runs in three innings. However, he has only given up one run outside of that, and in his most recent outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he didn’t allow a hit in six innings. Both of these veteran starters are showing signs of settling into the MLB success they’ve enjoyed in their career.
Pallante is showing the least cause for concern of all of the starters. He hasn’t given up more than two runs in a game. His most recent outing was a seven-inning shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Liberatore had a rough beginning to the season, giving up eight runs in his first two starts. However, the 25-year-old has gone six innings in each of his starts this season, and he shut out the Phillies over six innings in his last start.
If the rotation ever goes back to five men, Mikolas and Matz will be in competition to drop out. Mikolas has yet to pitch six innings this year. He had a disaster start against the Red Sox, giving up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings. In his other two starts, he gave up two and three runs, respectively, but the right-hander hasn’t looked sharp this season.
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