St. Louis Cardinals: Four predictions for the rest of 2021

Liberatore and Thompson will be starting in September

Of course, it’s not just Flaherty who’s been missing from the Cards’ starting rotation. Miles Mikolas has made one start, pitching all of 4.0 frames, before getting hurt once again. Kwang-Hyun Kim is on the injured list for the third time this season. And Carlos Martinez has been a mix of hurt and horrendous throughout the year.

There has been some optimistic news recently regarding the rotation beyond Flaherty’s return. Mikolas is on a rehab stint and could be back with the big league club in a week or two. Daniel Ponce de Leon is healthy and looking to get his ERA below 7.00, though that’s probably going to happen out of the bullpen.

And then there are the new trade acquisitions. J.A. Happ has looked really good over 11 innings in two starts, though the 6.77 ERA he posted in 19 turns through the rotation in Minnesota ought to lessen fans’ enthusiasm. Jon Lester has been atrocious while taking the bump twice for St. Louis starts, allowing 11 earned runs in 10-1/3 innings. On the heels of a 5.02 ERA for Washington this season prior to being picked up at the trade deadline, would anyone have expected better?

Adam Wainwright has been has been a stud, which is a mix of pleasant surprise given his age and expected given his history. And then there’s Wade LeBlanc, owner of an unexpected 3.12 while pitching in a birds-on-the-bat jersey.

So, with under two months to go and age and injury both ongoing concerns, what will the Cardinals do? Well, at least by September 1 roster expansion, it should be audition time for Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson. Let the kids play, as MLB’s recent tagline says!

No, Liberatore (5.03 ERA) and Thompson (6.61 ERA) haven’t been particularly good at Triple-A Memphis. Yes, service time is a consideration since bringing either pitcher up would start their arbitration and free agent clocks when holding them down until two weeks into 2022 would garner the team another year of control.

However, service time may or may not be a concern following the completion of the new CBA negotiations. And if the rules don’t change, St. Louis certainly could keep them back until mid-May next year if they want to.

But assuming the next three weeks don’t include a surge in the standings, getting an extended look at these two young pitchers (Liberatore, 21; Thompson, 23) will help the Cardinals better understand what they have going into the winter.

Whether they’re fill-ins as other starters get hurt, part of an expanded six-man rotation, or piggyback/tandem starters sharing one spot, there’s little to lose letting these youngsters get acclimated to the big leagues when there’s not much pressure.

If they blossom in this limited exposure, great. If they falter, well, there’s a team in Memphis for them to return to next season. It’s time to liberate Liberatore and turn Thompson loose.