Gameday 102: Lefties battle in rubber match of Pirates/Cardinals series

Martin Perez will face Matthew Liberatore with series on the line.

Jul 24, 2024

Paul Skenes pitched into the ninth for the first time in his professional career, but he also lost for the first time since he was on campus at LSU over a year ago.

The offense tied it up late, giving them a chance, but a late run by the Cardinals was the difference. They won 2-1 and evened up their three-game series.

Now, the two teams will play a day game to decide on a key divisional series between two teams in the thick of the playoff race.

A pair of lefties will face off against each other in the rubber match, Martin Perez for the Pirates and Matthew Liberatore for the Cardinals.

Liberatore is a former top prospect who has pitched mostly out of the bullpen this year. In his last start, he threw six shutout innings while striking out eight.

Pirates Lineup

DH - Andrew McCutchen

2B - Nick Gonzales

RF - Connor Joe

SS - Oneil Cruz

3B - Ke’Bryan Hayes

LF - Joshua Palacios

C - Joey Bart

1B - Rowdy Tellez

CF - Michael A. Taylor

Cardinals Lineup

SS - Masyn Winn

RF - Alec Burleson

DH - Wilson Contreras

3B - Nolan Arenado

1B - Paul Goldschmidt

2B - Brendan Donovan

CF - Dylan Carlson

LF - Lars Nootbaar

C - Pedro Pages

Pitching Matchup

PIT - Martin Perez (1-5, 5.61 ERA, 77 IP, 27 BB, 61 K)

STL - Matthew Liberatore (2-2, 4.15 ERA, 52 IP, 17 BB, 41 K)

Yesterday’s Feature

WTM looked at the previous week in Bradenton, which featured the FCL team pushing for a playoff spot and the Marauders getting swept over the weekend.

Bucs On Deck

This Week in Bradenton: FCL Bucs Push for Playoff Spot

The FCL Pirates are in a remarkably narrow playoff race. The FCL has three divisions, and the best record beyond the three division winners gets a wild card. With two games left, the Bucs are in a three-way tie with the Rays and Red Sox for the division lead. The Bucs have games Tuesday and Thursday against the 20-37 …

a year ago · 4 likes · 10 comments · WTM

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a year ago · Anthony Murphy

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a year ago · 5 likes · 60 comments · Anthony Murphy

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