Result: Cardinals 8, Marlins 2
Weather: 74 degrees, sunny
By Rob Rains
Matthew Liberatore capped off a very good spring on Saturday – and now he will wait to find out what his role on the Cardinals will be during the regular season.
After making five relief appearances in which he allowed a combined two runs in 12 2/3 innings, Liberatore made his first start of the spring in the Cardinals’ next-to-last game and was just as effective.
Liberatore allowed just one run over four innings against the Marlins in Jupiter, lowering his spring ERA to 1.62.
The uncertainty for Liberatore’s role – and also that of Michael McGreevy – is because the Cardinals are considering using a six-man rotation to begin the regular season in hopes that it would help keep all of their starters healthy.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
High: Willson Contreras homered as part of a four-run first inning, raising his spring average to .405.
Low: It wa another hitless day for Masyn Winn, now with an .083 average this spring.
At the plate: Jordan Walker drove in three runs, delivering a two-run single in the first inning and later adding a sacrifice fly … Alec Burleson had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run … Trying to secure the final spot on the roster, Jose Fermin was 2-of-2, including a pinch-hit double … Michael Siani was 0-of-2, dropping his spring average to .100.
On the mound: Liberatore allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two … Phil Maton made his first appearance in a game since signing in the middle of spring training and worked a scoreless inning, pitching around two hits … Ryan Helsley and JoJo Romero also each worked a scoreless inning.
Worth noting: The Cardinals are expected to announce their 26-man opening day roster on Sunday, with the final decisions appearing to be between Victor Scott II and Siani in the outfield, Fermin and Jose Barrero as the reserve infielder and whether McGreevy will start with the Cardinals or in Triple A.
Up next: Erick Fedde will get the start on Sunday in the final game in Jupiter.
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