MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Quinn Mathews, Memphis Redbirds
The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Quinn Mathews
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Quinn Mathews is starting to look like Quinn Mathews again.
The Memphis left-hander is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after throwing six scoreless innings in the Redbirds’ 7-0 win over Norfolk in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Mathews allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out two, giving Memphis exactly what it needed in the front half of a twin bill. The strikeout total was modest by his standards, but the outing was not about piling up swings and misses. It was about command, efficiency, run prevention and setting the tone for a club trying to climb into first place.
He did that.
Memphis went on to sweep the doubleheader, and by the end of the day, the Redbirds had moved into first place in the International League. That makes Mathews’ start more than a good individual line. It was a first-place-caliber outing in a game that mattered.
That is the kind of start the Cardinals have been waiting to see.
Mathews entered the season with plenty of attention, and for good reason. The Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, where he became a college baseball name to remember after throwing a 156-pitch complete game in the 2023 Super Regionals. His first full professional season in 2024 only added to the profile, as he led all of Minor League Baseball with 202 strikeouts while climbing four levels and earning MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year honors.
Then came the harder part.
The momentum slowed in 2025 after early-season shoulder soreness, and the fastball was not always as firm as it had been during his breakout year. In 2026, the first part of his Triple-A season was uneven. Through his first 10 starts, the command was not where it needed to be, and the ERA reflected the inconsistency.
June has started to look different.
Mathews has now put together a strong scoreless stretch, and Thursday’s outing was another step in the right direction. His season ERA is down to 4.01, and the strikeout ability remains very real, with 67 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. The bat-missing ability has not gone away.
The next step is still obvious.
The walks have to come down. That is the remaining separator between Mathews being a very interesting Triple-A arm and a legitimate major league option later this season. The strikeout rate says he has the stuff to miss bats. The recent scoreless stretch says he is finding better rhythm. But to force the issue in St. Louis, he has to keep tightening the command.
That is not a criticism as much as it is the assignment.
There is a difference between being back on the radar and being ready for the call. Mathews is putting himself back on the radar in a serious way. Now he has to keep stacking starts and proving this is not just a good two-week stretch, but a real correction.
For Memphis, this was exactly what a first-place team needed. Six shutout innings from a top pitching prospect. A clean path for the bullpen. A win in game one. A doubleheader sweep by the end of the day.
For Mathews, it was another reminder that the upside is still there.
Old School Take
Not every good start has to come with double-digit strikeouts.
Sometimes a pitcher simply takes the ball, throws six shutout innings, keeps the other club off the board, and lets his team win the day.
That is what Quinn Mathews did.
The strikeouts will come. They always have with him. The bigger sign Thursday was the control of the game.
Six scoreless innings. First place on the line. Memphis wins.
As they say in the broadcast booth, that will play.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB