Liberatore Silences Blue Jays' Bats as Cardinals Take Series Rubber Match

Liberatore Silences Blue Jays' Bats as Cardinals Snap Two-Game Skid

Matthew Liberatore had Max Scherzer's number Sunday, and that made all the difference in a 5-1 Cardinals win over the Blue Jays that swung the momentum of this early-season set right back to St. Louis.

The two clubs have been trading haymakers all week, with Toronto having taken the previous two meetings before Sunday's game turned things back in St. Louis's favor. St. Louis grabbed control early and never let go, riding a dominant start from Liberatore and a middle-of-the-order surge to snap a two-game skid against Toronto.

Liberatore was the story from the first pitch. He turned in a 51.5 fantasy-point outing, the best of anyone on the field, and Toronto's lineup simply had no answer. He worked ahead in counts all afternoon, mixed his pitches to keep Toronto off balance, and left Blue Jays hitters shaking their heads on their way back to the dugout. It's the kind of start that changes a series — St. Louis had dropped the previous two meetings, and Liberatore made sure this one didn't slip away too.

On the other side, Scherzer gave Toronto everything he had. The 42-year-old right-hander posted 37.2 fantasy points, and given the final score, that effort came with plenty of swings-and-misses even in a losing cause. But run support never arrived, and Toronto's offense sputtered against Liberatore in a way it hadn't against St. Louis pitching in recent meetings.

Jordan Walker provided the offensive backbone for the Cardinals, racking up 17.0 fantasy points with a performance that looked like a continuation of the pop he flashed earlier in the series. Lars Nootbaar chipped in right behind him with 14.5 points, giving St. Louis multiple threats up and down the lineup rather than relying on one bat to carry the load. José Fermín added 8.5 points, Nathan Church matched him with 8.5 of his own, and Blaze Jordan and Bryan Torres each tacked on 8.0 points. It was the kind of balanced attack that makes life miserable for an opposing pitching staff — no easy outs, no breathing room.

Toronto did have some individual bright spots beyond Scherzer. Andrés Giménez was productive at the plate with 16.5 fantasy points, and George Springer added 12.5, a reminder that the Blue Jays' lineup still has thump even when the results don't fall their way. Luis Urías chipped in 11.0 points as well. But with Scherzer taking the loss and the offense unable to string together the kind of innings that had powered wins over Toronto's last two matchups with Washington, the Blue Jays simply couldn't keep pace.

This series has now swung back and forth — Toronto won two straight from St. Louis before this one, part of a stretch that had the Blue Jays playing their best baseball of the young season, having also taken care of business against Washington in two prior meetings. Sunday's result is a reminder that even a team riding good form can run into a starter who's simply dealing, and Liberatore did exactly that.

For St. Louis, this is the type of win that can settle a rotation and a lineup in the season's opening week. Liberatore looks like a stabilizing force at the top of the rotation, and if Walker and Nootbaar keep producing at this level, the Cardinals have the makings of a lineup that can back up strong pitching rather than waste it. For Toronto, the concern is whether Sunday was an aberration or a sign that the offense that lit up Washington twice in a row can go cold against the right arm. Scherzer's performance shows the front of the rotation is still capable, but Toronto will need more consistent thump from the middle of the order if it wants to avoid these kinds of quiet afternoons.

With the first week of the season already producing a seesaw stretch between these two clubs, both sides have things to build on and questions to answer. St. Louis leaves with the emotional lift of snapping its two-game skid against Toronto. Toronto leaves searching for answers against a Cardinals pitching staff that just showed it can shut the lights off when it's clicking.

For fans building lineups around performances like Liberatore's on JockBroker, this is exactly the kind of breakout start that can carry a roster for a week.