蜜芽传媒

NEW YORK聽鈥� The confidence they helped create without any intention of doing so, the New York Mets saw what it鈥檚 growing into Saturday during the latest and perhaps longest stride yet in Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore鈥檚 arrival as a starter in the majors.

This past August, as both the Cardinals and Mets emerged from the trade deadline still nurturing notions of contention, Liberatore entered in the eighth inning of a game going nowhere for his club. The Cardinals trailed 6-0 as Liberatore faced three of the Mets鈥� top hitters 鈥� and struck them out on 11 pitches, including Pete Alonso on four. Liberatore recalls coming just shy of an immaculate inning, and the feeling as he breezed through the Mets.

鈥淭hat was the pinnacle for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淥K, I can really challenge guys in the zone. My stuff plays at this level. I faced a couple of the best hitters in the game, got some swing and miss and had uncomfortable at-bats. I think from there on it鈥檚 grown in a good way.鈥�

What began in that inning continued in his start Saturday.

And that wasn鈥檛 the only similarity.

The Cardinals also did not provide any runs.

Right-hander Kodai Senga pushed his scoreless inning streak toward 20 innings as he led the Mets to a 3-0 victory against the Cardinals at a sold-out Citi Field. Alonso had two RBIs, one from a late solo homer, and put the Mets in position to go for the four-game series sweep on Sunday. In a shutout embroidered with lessons for the Cardinals, there was the offense that whiffed on three opportunities and the situational hitting that would have capitalized on at least one. And there was Liberatore 鈥� driving into the seventh inning with an assortment of pitches and following up a two-run inning by the Mets against him with a resourceful three-strikeout inning that overpowered the Mets.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what he did,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said. 鈥淗e continues to show moments like that. That is what you鈥檙e looking for. It鈥檚 good when there鈥檚 growth with progress. Sometimes it鈥檚 frustrating. Sometimes it鈥檚 frustrating on the other side of opportunities. When it鈥檚 not there yet. We saw that on the other side of the ball (offensively). But you鈥檙e still having to find out what some guys are capable of doing.鈥�

The Cardinals scrounged up three hits, two of them doubles by Thomas Saggese. Each time a potential rally sparked by a Saggese double fizzled with a strikeout.

In the second, his double put two runners in scoring position with one out.

Nolan Gorman struck out to give Senga an escape.

In the fifth, Saggese led off with a double, got to third on a wild pitch, and they did not advance safely from there. Gorman struck out, and when Yohel Pozo hit a hard grounder to third, Saggese said he got 鈥渁ntsy鈥� and made the mistake of breaking for home. He was thrown out easily to squelch the opportunity.

鈥淭hat was just a bad read,鈥� Saggese said. 鈥淛ust a mistake. Just too aggressive, too antsy. Just the wrong read.鈥�

It will definitely be a topic as the Cardinals circle back each day to talk through the offense, review moments, and preview the pitchers. Marmol has often described the 鈥渇eedback loop鈥� that the Cardinals鈥� coaching staff has created this season 鈥� and how it has helped in game with immediate conversation and around games with group talks. It is an essential part of the learning the Cardinals want to nurture this season as part of their 鈥渢ransition鈥� year to rely more on youth, to determine who among the youth can help them win from here. Marmol reiterated that Saturday afternoon as he described how the staff is 鈥渉ead down about making sure the players are getting every day.鈥�

The offense has stalled in Queens against the staff with the lowest ERA overall and lowest ERA in losses, too. The Mets have thrown three starters in this series with ERAs of 3.43, 3.27, and then Senga at 0.79. Clay Holmes鈥� turn comes Sunday. He鈥檚 at 3.66.

Griffin Canning followed his deceptive fastball to one run allowed Thursday.

David Peterson came from the left to allow three runs Friday.

Senga (3-1) dropped the forkball for 5 2/3 scoreless Saturday.

Three different starters. Three different looks. One ongoing difficulty for the Cardinals鈥� lineup as it stumbled into the team鈥檚 eighth loss in the first nine road games.

Within the loss, however, Liberatore met the assignment 鈥� showing how he is improving with every start. One starter. Multiple different looks. And the ongoing emergence of the benefit he鈥檚 getting from the Cardinals commitment to him as a starter, not yo-yoing him in and out of the role. Liberatore鈥檚 fourth consecutive start of at least six innings was also one of his most complete with six different pitchers at his fingertips. He got at least one swing and miss on five of the six.

That鈥檚 a significant improvement from his turn as a reliever last year when if a pitch misbehaved he had to pocket it.

鈥淐ross it off the list for the day because I need to get ahead of guys and I don鈥檛 have the opportunity to find things,鈥� Liberatore said.

Now, as he did with his curveball, he has the time and ability to revive it.

鈥淥nce you get a second, third time through the lineup and guys have kind of seen how you鈥檙e going to attack them, it鈥檚 nice to have weapons that they maybe haven鈥檛 seen yet,鈥� Liberatore added. 鈥淭hat can also provide some swing and miss, some uncomfortable at-bats.鈥�

Juan Soto and Alonso combined for back-to-back RBI hits in the third inning to establish the 2-0 lead that both teams spent most of the game playing around. Liberatore got out of the third having faced six batters and allowed two extra-base hits. He entered the fourth and remained hard-nosed with his use of his pitches. He struck out the side in order and did so with three different finishing pitches.

Starling Marte chased an 86.1-mph slider.

Brandon Nimmo missed a 77.4-mph curve.

Luis Torrens could not catch up to a 95-mph fastball.

鈥淵ou give up two and then you stay on the attack,鈥� Marmol said.

Liberatore was liberal with the slider, throwing it 40 times in his 100 pitches and landing 30 of them. He also had a range of more than 20 mph between his pitches, and he clustered three different pitches that moved in three different ways all around an average of 88 mph.

鈥淚 think an executed pitch is an effective pitch for me with all of my stuff,鈥� Liberatore said. 鈥淚 know what guys the slider is better to, what guys the curveball is better to, and what guys chase the heater up. Yeah, for me, that slider is kind of a weapon to everybody.鈥�

Liberatore (1-2) remained in his uniform after the loss Sunday as other teammates scrambled to catch the first bus back to the team hotel in Manhattan. He explained that he likes to keep his full uniform on until the game is over and that he just finished his post-start arm care. He then described his outing and how the Mets played a part in the confidence he carried to the mound since facing them Aug. 5 and against them on April 19.

They taught him something in August about his stuff.

He got to show them a lesson learned in April.

If he remained assertive inning to inning, the steadiness follows start to start.

鈥淢ore of a murmur,鈥� Liberatore said of the results, 鈥渢han the peaks and valleys.鈥�