Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Matthew Liberatore DESTROYED Again—How Many More DISASTERS Can the St. Louis Cardinals SURVIVE?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Bird on bird violence erupted at Bush Stadium on Tuesday night where the Orioles massacred, Matthew Libertor and the St. Louis Cardinals. You are locked on Cardinals. Your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Hey there, Carlis fans. I'm Jannie Hafford on today's show. The legend of Renio Rodriguez continues to grow as both he and Liam Doyle shine for Springfield, who also made a franchise changing announcement.

Starting point is 00:00:36 We'll get into that. We're going to do some cardinal confessions today, but before we can do that, we've got to start with the big league club and what was an absolute butt whipping in every sense of the phrase by the Baltimore Orioles against our helpless St. Louis Cardinals. Hide the kids.

Starting point is 00:00:54 Hide the wife. If you're squeamish, I hope you didn't have to sit through that massacre that we witnessed on Tuesday night at Bush Stadium where the Orioles, who came into the game at 63 and 68, mind you. But because the American League stinks this year, they are competing for a wildcard spot. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were at 66 and 66, and we're five and a half back after getting

Starting point is 00:01:17 swept in Philly. And obviously we have this soul-crushing fashion of a game on Sunday. They're hoping that the day off on Monday would help reboot, refresh things a little bit, get to come home, start a homestan. Didn't start great. Didn't start great with the announcement. The Mason Win was going on the IL. Nolan Gorman got recalled. And yes, he was hitting home runs at Memphis.

Starting point is 00:01:42 And yes, he had an OPS over 900 in August. But until he shows us that he can do that in the big leagues, I don't care. Like, good for him. Do what you got to do to get back to the big leagues. But now we need to see results at the big league level. Then the game starts. Matthew Libbertor got the nod after pitching beautifully in Cincinnati until he grooved that gopher ball to Sal Stewart, which which ruined the whole game.

Starting point is 00:02:13 Home runs, one bad inning, literally story of a season, right? Not an ideal start when the first batter Matt Holliday's son and former number one overall pick Jackson Holiday. Pulls off the swinging butt and Libby throws it away. I'm like, bro. all that stuff they practice in spring training where they have them do with drills over and over again. Cardle make a lot of errors with their pitchers. It just feels that way. I don't even know where they rank as far as errors among pitchers,

Starting point is 00:02:41 but gosh, it seems like there's a bunch of them, right? Peter Lanzum was next. He works a seven pitch of bat with a single to left field. Now you got first and third nobody out, and I'm thinking, here we go again. Here we go again. Libby's going to get blown up here at the first, but he didn't. He locks in, gets Pop-up. two strikeouts and he escapes. All right, all right, all right.

Starting point is 00:03:03 No issues in the second inning, okay. Then in the third inning, the O's number nine hitter, Laoti Tavaris works an eight pitch at bat that ends with an infield single that JJ Weatherholt, who was playing shortstop because Mason Wend is out, makes a nice play on, but just doesn't have the canon that Mason Wynne has. Nobody does really on the infield. Maybe a couple of people, but most people,

Starting point is 00:03:29 don't have it either. And he's not able to get the out of first base. This flips the lineup over. Jackson Holiday singles. So now it's Alonzo with two want to nobody out. And he waits back on a change up from Libby that ends up landing 435 feet away from home plate and the left center field stands just to the side of the bullpen there. Three to nothing, Orioles. 22nd home run of the season, given up by Libby. But it wouldn't even be the far this ball hit in the inning. Gets the next two outs, lays the first pitch fastball to Christian Incarnassion, Strand right over the heart of the plate. He clobbers it, 450 feet. Longest home run hit at Bush Stadium this season. Makes it four to nothing. 23rd home run of the season against Matthew

Starting point is 00:04:16 Libertoy. And you're hoping this might be the one bad inning that Libby always seems to have to work through. One bad inning. And the Cardinals would have plenty of time to play catch up and get back into this game. Now, they get a solo shot from Nathan Church and the bottom half of the inning. So it's three-run deficit. That's not insurmountable by any means. Good teams can come back from that. We've seen the Cardinals come back from that and worse. But the wheels come off in the fifth inning. Top of the order. Go single, single, walk. Now you're loaded with nobody out and, oh boy, now you're in real trouble, right? After a seven pitch at bat to Mayo, he singles on a line drive that let's be honest that should have been caught should have been caught in shortstop by j j way

Starting point is 00:05:09 heatherhole goes off his glove instead i'm sure the reds fans who see that clip and highlight we'll have some fun with that as they continue to go back and forth with the sell steward as in a rookie of the year versus j jratherhold debate which by the way i don't know i forget which who had it but maybe it was it was fandle but somebody has it where it's sell stewart's the favorite now who also hit another home run last night against San Francisco in a losing cause for the Reds. But I digress. But this goes off JJ's glove, makes it 5 to 1,

Starting point is 00:05:42 and that ends Libby's time on the mound. Four innings, 7Ks, good, 7Ks, 8 hits two home runs and a walk. Very, very bad. And he's still responsible for all those guys on base with Shreslecki coming in and he doesn't do Libby any favors. Single makes it 7 to 1. then a strikeout, then he hits a guy, then he walks a guy, which makes it 8 to 1,

Starting point is 00:06:07 then another single makes it 10 to 1, then another hit for Holiday, 11 to 1. Alonzo doubles makes it 12 to 1 before Caleb Ferguson comes in to stop the bleeding altogether. Final line here for Libby, four innings, eight runs on eight hits, seven strikeouts, one walk,

Starting point is 00:06:28 two home runs, false to 5 and 12 on the the season, the ERA shoots up to 5.44. Nobody can explain this guy. Nobody gets it. Nobody knows why he can look so dominant at times during a game and just pure cheeks the next inning or why it happens every other time he pitches. It is a mystery. It is a mystery wrapped in a riddle, wrapped inside an enigma. And they pointed it out on the telecast, and we've seen it time and time again. Every dayers know this.

Starting point is 00:07:09 He misses his spots just way too often. And when he misses it, he misses right over the heart of the plate. And I'm sorry, unless you have dominating stuff, which Matthew Libertort does not, you're going to get clobbered. My only hope is, if there's a silver lining here, my only hope is that he's following the Andre Palante plan of sucking butt in one year, and then we'll come back the next year and make guys like me who ripped him and made fun of him look like idiots. And I hope it happens.

Starting point is 00:07:42 I hope it happens. Cardinals lose this one 13 to 1. Nathan Church had two hits. Nolan Gorman and his return to Bush Stadium, his return to the big leagues, looked exactly like the same dude who left, O for four, three strikeouts. He looked terrible. So that's more good news. Like you're hoping that you would have seen something more from him.

Starting point is 00:08:09 At least, no, over four, three strikeouts. The highlight of the game was Pedro Pahez throwing a shutout in the ninth inning. That was the highlight. That's how rough this game was. It was not a lot of fun to watch unless you're an Orioles fan or somebody who hates the Cardinals. It was miserable. And it's funny because, like, you see these games and you just get beat down, but it doesn't hurt as much as the, you know, the loss on Sunday,

Starting point is 00:08:42 where you had a win absolutely ripped away from you. These are the ones that you just kind of laugh at, and you're just like, I, but I don't think a lot of people are going to be laughing today. I think people are going to be upset about it. Anyway, we're going to get to that because Cardinal Confessions are coming up next. His fans sound off about this debacle and what the hell is going on with the team in general here in the late stages of August. We'll get into all of that coming up next on Lockdown Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:10:41 Play ball and swing for the fences on Fanduel, an official partner of Major League Baseball. Thanks for making Lockdown Cardinals. Your first list of the day. Thank you for making Lockdown, the number one sports podcast network. Plenty of reactions to this game. Most of it is angry as to be expected.

Starting point is 00:11:02 So let's start with the ones that after every loss, people are kind of right in and tell me about how Ali Marmal should be fired. And I can't help but laugh. When people accuse me of being somebody who is an Ali apologist, all I do is look at the amount of comments I get. And you make me sound like that because I have to give you what I deem is the facts and the opinions on what's going on with Ali and why he still has a job. There's the first, the first comment. How the hell does Ali still have a job? Triple question marks.

Starting point is 00:11:43 and the pitching and the bullpen starting over means starting there not the field players six exclamation points i picture that person hammering the table when they wrote that so okay let's go first and foremost ollie is not managing for his job right now he is steering the ship while the rebuild takes place behind the scenes barring a record setting lost season and him completely losing the clubhouse or doing something that would upset upper management. Ali Marmal is here doing exactly what they want him to do. And that's help these young players become better major leaguers. So that when the organization is ready to compete for championships,

Starting point is 00:12:35 which I feel like we're targeting 2028, these guys have worked through their growing pains, learn some valuable lessons about playing in the big leagues and are ready to win at this level. Now, this team in 2026 was not built or expected to win as much as they have right now, which is why you hear the ahead of schedule phrase so much. What Ali and these players and the rest of the coaching staff have done this year has been better than expected. So why would they fire him for that? Oh yeah, you're doing an incredible job.

Starting point is 00:13:17 Everybody around baseball talks about how the Cardinals who are supposed to stink are ahead of schedule and looking pretty good. It looks like their future is really good. Let's fire that guy. Like what sense does that make? And as far as the pitching goes, you started the season with Dustin May, Matthew Libertor, Michael McGreevy, Andre Palante, and Calahe as your top five. You knew what you were getting with Dustin May.

Starting point is 00:13:42 you knew what the plan was. You didn't really know what you were getting with Libby. McGreevy was in his first full season as a starter. Andre Palante came out of nowhere and impressed you in the spring. That's had a good solid season. Kyle Leahy didn't know what you were getting. So they were just kind of like, all right, let's see what these guys can do. And then you have Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitz who were acquired in the trades as your six and seven depth arms.

Starting point is 00:14:11 They were supposed to back these guys up case something happened. to them. And now you've traded May. Palante, Dobbins, and Fitz are all hurt. Scoa Robi was a guy that you were hoping was going to be somebody that was ready at this point in his career. They got high hopes for him, but he got hurt last year. So he's working his way back. Cooper Jerpy, former first round pick, just got back from an arm injury. The pitching depth in this organization was terrible. Like Gordon Grecefo was at one point, your highest ranked pitching prospect. And no offense to Gordon Grisuffa, but come on. If that is your top pitching prospect in your organization, something's wrong. But through the draft in trades, you've compiled a

Starting point is 00:15:01 solid list of guys like Quinn Matthews who made his debut this year. But the rest of the arms that the Cardinals have acquired, that Hyam Bloom and Company have acquired, Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Brandon Clark, Gerangelo Sanja, Teigen Coons, Daniel Egan, Yohika Fuhardo, Sondro Santana. They're not ready for the big leagues yet. Hence, why the window for competing is 2028 or after when hopefully a few of these guys have panned out and become legit big leaguers. Now, there's no guarantees they will.

Starting point is 00:15:38 Nobody can promise that. We've seen weird things happen to a lot of top prospects, you know. Tavaris died. Reyes couldn't stay healthy. These were supposed to be big pieces. Rick Ankiy. Like, things happen. Another one.

Starting point is 00:15:57 When Ali pulled Leahy after four innings at 63 pitches with a three-nothing lead, I turned him off the rest of the year. Leahy should have sent Bloom a request for trade, and the players should have met behind closed doors and discussed an epic collapses to silently send Bloom. Notice that Ali Marmal has got to go, and until then you ain't seen nothing yet. All right.

Starting point is 00:16:16 So Kyle Leahy. is on an inning's restriction because this is his first year as a full-time starter in the big leagues. Sunday it was said he would get 65 to 70 pitches to protect his arm for the future. That is why he was pulled. Ali did not yank him because of any other reason. Iam Bloom said in his press conference when he took over the job, let's go back to the beginning of all this.

Starting point is 00:16:40 For those of you who weren't paying attention all year, our top priority will be to build our talent base for the long term. That may mean hard decisions and short-term sacrifices, but to get where we want to go, we can't take shortcuts and we won't. This, what you're seeing with Cal Leahy, is part of that long-term approach. And the idea of holding a private meeting and scheming to get your manager fired is a lousy idea. Who would want to manage a group of people that would do that or come to an organization that is so, screwed up that something like that is happening in the clubhouse. That's the type of team you want to support, one that has mutiny on their mind in August.

Starting point is 00:17:29 Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Next one. Be honest, J.D. with the loss of Palante and Dobbins plus the limited pitch count for Leahy, not to mention Libby can't go past four or five innings. And Mason went on the IL. Are we witnessing the white flag being waived to surrender the 2026 season? I'm never going to accuse these guys of quitting. Four games ago, they were only a couple games out of the wild card. They took the Phillies to extra innings, but they lost. That would suck.

Starting point is 00:17:57 Sunday, you have one of the worst two-out collapses I've ever witnessed take place. I don't think they were quitting there. That was just a really, really bad inning for Riley O'Brien. Wasn't defensive lapses. It wasn't people not hustling or not doing their jobs. Riley O'Brien just had one of the worst collapses you've ever seen. But what I think we are seeing is the cracks in one of the youngest teams in the league that had very little margin for error coming into the season,

Starting point is 00:18:30 very little margin of error to sustain being a team that was above 500, as long as they did. And now that you're losing dudes, you're seeing these guys run out of gas. And they're out and they're running out of healthy bodies. And when you get to the lower levels of your depth charts, there are certain teams that maybe can survive something like that. But the Cardinals are not one of them. So that's what I think you're seeing. I don't see quit.

Starting point is 00:18:59 I don't. I will never accuse them of that. I just think you're seeing them wear down. I'm sorry, but Heinblum has to see that Libertory isn't and never will be a legit top-in rotation guy, maybe a fourth or fifth starter at best with this team's budget. he would be in AAA or the bullpen with a third of the league's current pitching rosters. Serious contenders with better rosters and better depth would most certainly have moved on from Matthew Libert's by now as an everyday starter.

Starting point is 00:19:29 For sure, I agree with that. Yes, he's not been good this year. And if this team was in contention, like serious contention, I'm not talking three and a half back out of a wild card, but say they were leading the NL Central. They would have done something because you couldn't keep turning the ball over to a guy who's five and 12 now. So Cardinals don't have that luxury, though, with the injuries, the trade of May. So he's going to be in this rotation until the end of the season.

Starting point is 00:19:59 My guess is they will give him a shot to compete for a rotation spot next spring, just like they did with Palante. He turned his career around this season. He's not a free agent until 2030. Doesn't turn 27 until November of this year. why wouldn't you keep him around and see if it finally clicks? It's not costing you anything substantial. I know everyone gets frustrated.

Starting point is 00:20:21 You just want to fire people and, you know, DFA them, but that's not realistic. That's not what happens. So if other people beat him out in the spring and he doesn't win a spot in the rotation, so be it. Personally, I'm just hoping for baseball in 2027. I'm not as much worried about if Matthew Libert-tore is going to be my fifth starter at this.

Starting point is 00:20:44 point. I just hope we have Major League Baseball next year. That's what I'm worried about. All right. We've got to move on to the farm next. The Hulk and the Madman. We're doing cool things at Springfield. We'll talk about them next on Locked on Cardinals. A big thank you to our friends at Amazon for this limited break, this back to school season, spin less on your kids with Amazon. Now we all know how crazy the back to school shopping experience can be. We've all been there either as a parent or as the kid. It starts with a few items on the list. And then suddenly you got a shopper supplies and clothes, lunch gear, tack, and about 10 other things you didn't see coming, and it all adds up really fast. You get that teacher supply list. It arrives and somehow every item

Starting point is 00:21:29 feels completely reasonable on its own. And then you add everything together and realize how much stuff one kid needs for one school year. It's wild. When you buy clothes for back to school, then your kid has a growth spurt like two weeks later. And you're right back where you started. Sometimes it genuinely feels like they're growing up faster than your budget to keep up. And when you buy your supplies and find yourself asking, how does a calculator become one of the more expensive items in the cart? You're not expecting to do math. Start costing yourself money before school even began. It feels like there's a life lesson in there somewhere. We're still trying to figure it out, though. So remember with Amazon's low back to school prices, just spend less on your kids because every dollar you don't spend on them is a dollar you haven't spent on that.

Starting point is 00:22:11 Shop back to school at Amazon and spend less on your kids. Thanks for making Lockdown, Cardinals first listen of the day. Thank you for making Lockdown on the number one sports podcast, and Edwary. So the Springfield Cardinals are a fun team to watch. And not every fan pays attention to what's going on in the minor leagues for your team. They focus is on the Major League team. And I get that.

Starting point is 00:22:38 But with the Cardinals and the organization being where they are, I've paid as much attention to the minor leagues as I have the Major League this year. because the future of this team is down there at Memphis and Springfield and Peoria and Palm Beach, you know, this is what we're growing towards to that championship window opening up hopefully in 2028. A lot of the Cardinals' best young talent right now is at Springfield, learning to play together, learning to win together. Leading off in center field, you got Tai Pete, your 17th ring prospect. batting second, your number one prospect and catcher, Rania Rodriguez.

Starting point is 00:23:20 Third, shortstop, Jesus Baez, who was somehow your 15th ring prospect on MLB pipeline, which is insane to me. Batting clean up in left field is Josiah Ragsdale, who you just got from Milwaukee. He's your number 11 prospect. 22-year-old third base prospect, Danielle Ortiz, is batting fifth for them. Not even ranked in the top 30, but I feel like he's the top 30 talent for sure. Jack Yorovich is at first base. he's your number 27 prospect.

Starting point is 00:23:47 Pitching wise, excuse me, your number two prospect, Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin at number five. You got Fuhardo in at number 13. Daniel Egan is number 22. Sondro Santana is number 24. It's a pretty incredible pool of players,

Starting point is 00:24:04 and they've not won eight in a row after beating San Antonio eight to nothing last night. Doyle, aka the Madman, picked up his fifth. win after going five and a third shutout innings. Four hits, one walk, six strikeouts. Four starts this month. Liam Doyle is now three and oh with a 1.31 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 20 and two thirds innings. Very impressive stuff. You love seeing the growth. Remember when he was pitching last

Starting point is 00:24:33 year and like the walks were a major issue and you were seeing some ugly lines even earlier this season as he worked on things. But here we are back in of August. And, and my guy's on a roll right now. Liam the Madman Doyle. Love it. Eight runs on 15 hits last night for the offense, who was led by the Hulk. Radio Rodriguez.

Starting point is 00:24:59 Second time in his last two games, he hit two home runs in a game. Both of these were solo shots, 18th and 19th of the season. At AA, he's got 23. Or, I mean, 18th and 19th of the season at AA. On the season, overall, he's got 23. He's now batting for this season with Springfield.

Starting point is 00:25:20 He's at 325. And in the month of August, he's now hitting 452 with eight home runs and 19 ribbyes and 17 games. He was just named the Texas League Player of the Week for last week. Second time he's taken home that honor. The kid is a dynamo. And he's hitting the crap out of everything that's thrown his way. Josiah Ragsdale, three for four in the game,

Starting point is 00:25:45 including his third dinger. since getting traded to the Cardinals from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. 22nd overall, home run for him on the year. Daniel Ortiz, as I mentioned, three for four, three ribbies. You've been injured this year. Hit his seventh home run. He's only played 48 games in AA this year. He's a talent.

Starting point is 00:26:06 I'm keeping an eye on. Gerevich, three hits, two ribbies. Pete, two hits. But what Doyle and Rodriguez are doing is got to be turning heads for the Cardinals front office. They got to be itching to get their hands on these guys. They got to go to Memphis first, obviously. I mean, you could pull them all the way up if you want to do,

Starting point is 00:26:26 but that's not going to happen. But they got to go to Memphis first. So when will that happen? Well, rosters expand in September, not like they used to for my old schoolers where like the whole minor leagues would come up. You only get a couple of extra spots there. I think it's three total.

Starting point is 00:26:42 So when that happens and they pull some people up, that should open some spots for guys at Memphis that people from Springfield could come up. So we'll see. I don't know. I don't know what the plan is for them, but the future continues to be bright for both Doyle and Rodriguez. The team, Springfield Cardinals, also announced that beginning in 2027,

Starting point is 00:27:05 they're no longer going to be known as the Springfield Cardinals, which is a big deal. The franchise is going to undergo what they call a rebrand following the conclusion of the 2026 minor league baseball season, beginning in 2027, the team will adopt the new name, logos, and uniforms, but they will continue to call Route 66 Stadium, their home ballpark, as St. Louis's AA affiliate. So it's not like they're punting on the Cardinals,

Starting point is 00:27:31 and they're not going to be with them anymore. They will. The team's going to unveil the new name, the branding, and marks at a free brand launch party at the stadium in Springfield on Tuesday, October 6th. So if you are in that vicinity, check it out. Send us pictures and stuff. Timing and more information will be made public in the coming week. So that's a big deal.

Starting point is 00:27:56 Back to the Big League Club, Cardinals and Orioles. Back at Bush Stadium on Wednesday night, it's Michael McGreevy against Kyle Braddish. See if we can have a more competitive game. Like, I know we laugh when we lose 13 to 1. It happens. Every team goes through it. Cardinals have crushed people this year. like the Cubs 17 to 1.

Starting point is 00:28:18 Are the Cardinals a better team than the Cubs? No. But it happens. It does happen. So, hopefully things will be better tonight and more fun to watch because that was not much fun to watch last thing. Thanks for making a lot of Cardinals. If you haven't already, give us a follow on X at L1 underscore Cardinals, TikTok, Instagram, and Lockdown Cardinals.

Starting point is 00:28:36 Like, subscribe on YouTube for your second list and check out Locked on MLB Game Night every game every night until the World Series champion is crowned. Get local analysis, but on a national scale. You can find MLB Game Night on the, Locked on MLB YouTube channel or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason. We will see you next time on Lockdown Cardinals. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:28:56 And rest in peace, Dolly Parton. That was sad.

Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Matthew Liberatore DESTROYED Again—How Many More DISASTERS Can the St. Louis Cardinals SURVIVE?

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