St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore delivered a sharp performance on the mound, guiding his team to a series-winning victory against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night at Busch Stadium.
The St. Louis offense sparked early against Cubs starter Jordan Wicks in the first inning, securing three consecutive hits from JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera, and Jordan Walker.
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Walker drove in Wetherholt with a single to secure a quick 1-0 lead.
The advantage expanded to 2-0 after Nelson Velázquez grounded into a fielder's choice and Alec Burleson hit a popup that allowed Herrera to score.
The momentum continued in the third inning when Wetherholt and Herrera singled before Burleson hit a crucial line drive to bring Wetherholt home.
Masyn Winn followed with a single that drove in two more runs, extending the lead to 5-0.
Liberatore provided exactly what the pitching rotation needed, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing zero runs on just three hits.
He struck out four batters and gave up only one walk before manager Oli Marmol subbed him out.
Reliever Hunter Dobbins entered the game to protect the lead but surrendered a solo home run to Alex Bregman on his very first batter, reducing the score to 5-1.
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Dobbins quickly regained his composure, striking out Seiya Suzuki and forcing Ian Happ into a groundout to end the sixth inning.
