Mathews Shows Electric Stuff in Spring Tune-Up

The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Quinn Mathews Shows Electric Stuff in Spring Tune-Up 

Left-hander Quinn Mathews turned in one of the most encouraging pitching performances of the Cardinals’ spring on Thursday, striking out seven over 2.2 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mathews allowed two runs — only one earned — on two hits, but the raw numbers only tell part of the story. The young lefty displayed the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that has quietly made him one of the more intriguing arms in the Cardinals’ pipeline.

Working with confidence, Mathews averaged 95.2 mph with his four-seam fastball and generated 12 whiffs on just 50 pitches, an impressive rate against big-league hitters. Just as encouraging, he did not issue a walk, attacking the strike zone and trusting his stuff.

The only real damage came in his final inning when a defensive miscue by Nolan Gorman extended the frame before Mathews surrendered a home run. Even with that blemish, the outing represented a significant step forward for the left-hander after a pair of shakier appearances earlier in camp.

For a young pitcher working toward consistency, this was the kind of outing that builds confidence — and gets the attention of the coaching staff.

Mathews is expected to open the 2026 season in the Triple-A Memphis rotation, continuing his development as a starting pitcher. But performances like Thursday’s serve as a reminder that the distance between Memphis and St. Louis can sometimes be very short.

In fact, if the Cardinals find themselves needing a starter during the season, Mathews could very well be one phone call — and one sore arm in the rotation — away from making his major-league debut.

For now, the Cardinals will likely let him continue building innings in Memphis. But after Thursday’s showing, one thing is clear:

Quinn Mathews has the kind of stuff that can force a conversation sooner rather than later.