Mautz Makes Debut, Liberatore Fans 10 as Cardinals Fall to Brewers

Cardinal Chronicle
Mautz Makes Debut, Liberatore Fans 10 as Cardinals Fall to Brewers
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The final score said Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 1, but Monday’s Memorial Day opener at American Family Field carried more weight than a quiet offensive afternoon.

It gave the Cardinals their first look at Brycen Mautz in a major league game. It gave Matthew Liberatore another outing full of both promise and frustration. And it gave the rotation debate another log for the fire.

The Brewers struck early, Jacob Misiorowski overpowered the Cardinals for seven innings, and Milwaukee opened the NL Central series with a 5-1 win over St. Louis. Misiorowski allowed one run on two hits over seven innings, struck out 12 and carried a no-hit bid into the sixth.

For the Cardinals, the afternoon turned almost immediately in the bottom of the first. Liberatore walked Jackson Chourio, then William Contreras followed with an RBI single. Christian Yelich made the inning hurt with a two-run homer, putting Milwaukee ahead 3-0 before the Cardinals had found any rhythm offensively.

After that, Liberatore settled in and showed the swing-and-miss ability that continues to make the Cardinals hesitate before moving him out of the rotation. The 26-year-old left-hander struck out a career-high 10 over five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He threw 101 pitches, 66 for strikes.

That is the Liberatore question in a nutshell.

There is real stuff there. There is real progress there. Ten strikeouts against a first-place division rival is not nothing. He missed bats, fought through traffic and kept the Cardinals close after the first inning. But the early damage still counted, and the workload again ended after five innings.

That is why the debate continues. Is Liberatore a starter still learning how to carry his best stuff deeper into games? Or is he a power left-handed relief weapon waiting to happen?

The Cardinals do not have to answer that tonight, but the conversation is not going away. His strikeout total argues for patience. His recent run prevention issues keep the other side of the argument alive.

St. Louis finally broke through in the sixth after Pedro Pagés broke up Misiorowski’s no-hit bid. Victor Scott II reached on a fielder’s choice, JJ Wetherholt singled, and Iván Herrera’s groundout brought Scott home to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Then came Mautz.

The rookie left-hander entered in the sixth for his major league debut, and Milwaukee made sure it was not a soft landing. Andrew Vaughn singled, Luis Rengifo walked, and Garrett Mitchell dropped in an RBI single to make it 4-1. But Mautz did not fold. He struck out Joey Ortiz for the first strikeout of his major league career, then followed by striking out Chourio to limit the damage.

That matters.

The box score will show Mautz allowed two runs over three innings, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out two. It was not clean. It was not dominant. But it was his first day in the big leagues, on the road, against the division leader, in a game still within reach. He took the baseball, absorbed the moment and finished his outing with a clean eighth inning.

Nobody can take that away from him.

Milwaukee added one more run in the seventh on Vaughn’s ground-rule double. The Brewers had 11 hits, with Yelich providing the biggest swing and Vaughn collecting three hits.

The Cardinals’ offense never found an answer. St. Louis managed only two hits, both off Misiorowski, and went quietly against Aaron Ashby over the final two innings.

The Cardinals will turn the page Tuesday night with Michael McGreevy scheduled to start against Kyle Harrison. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. at American Family Field.

For now, Monday belongs to Milwaukee in the standings. But for St. Louis, the bigger takeaway may be what comes next with two left-handers at very different points in their careers.

Mautz has officially arrived.

Liberatore is still trying to prove where he belongs.

And the Cardinals still have a decision coming.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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