As his season winds down, expectations for Matthew Liberatore's 2026 production depend in part on what he is able to accomplish in his last few starts of 2025.

Liberatore and the slumping Cardinals start a six-game Florida trip with Monday's 5:40 p.m. (St. Louis time) game vs. the Marlins in Miami.

For the left-hander Liberatore (6-10, 4.08 ERA), a promising start in which he looked like one of the league's bigger breakouts has turned south with a pedestrian stretch since.

Over the season's first two months, Liberatore had a 2.73 ERA and was ranked among baseball's best starters. Since May 25, he sits toward the bottom of MLB starters in earned run average and wins above replacement.

He has gotten "out of sync" and seen his velocity drop several times in recent months, including his l

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