Cardinals Announce Starters for Must-Win Orioles Series

The St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation is thin right now heading into a very important three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

St. Louis has three games at home against Baltimore before a three-game National League Central series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After being swept over the weekend by the Philadelphia Phillies, arguably the Orioles series is a must-win for the organization to keep pace in the National League Wild Card race.

St. Louis entered the day on Tuesday five games behind the San Diego Padres for the No. 3 National League Wild Card spot. There are two other teams on the outside looking in on the race in front of the Cardinals in the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins. With just about five weeks to go in the regular season, there isn't much wiggle room for the Cardinals to close the gap. The Orioles are a team that St. Louis should take care of. The Orioles are five games below .500 heading into the series at 63-68. With two difficult series coming, the Cardinals need to take advantage after the tough Phillies series.

Right now, things aren't easy for St. Louis in the rotation, to say the least. The Cardinals' depth is being tested with Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins both on the Injured List right now. Also, of course, the Cardinals traded Dustin May before the trade deadline. Quinn Mathews is up in the majors, but there is a hole beyond him. Plus, the Cardinals are managing Kyle Leahy's innings closely right now as well.

With that being said, here are the Cardinals' starters for the Orioles series.

Tuesday — Matthew Liberatore

Aug 14, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Liberatore has started to turn things around of late. His last time out came on Aug. 19 against the Cincinnati Reds. That day, he pitched six innings and allowed three runs. Before that, he allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 14. Liberatore has quickly gone from someone who should be sent down to the minors, to being integral to the club's success.

Wednesday — Michael McGreevy

Aug 9, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) throws against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michael McGreevy will take the hill on Wednesday night for his 26th start of the season. So far, he has been great. The righty has a 3.54 ERA and a 95-to-36 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 137 1/3 innings pitched. Before the 2026 season, McGreevy had never pitched more than 95 2/3 innings in a season in the majors.

Thursday — TBD

St. Louis Cardinals hat — Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

As of right now, the Cardinals haven't officially announced Thursday's starter. While this is the case, Mathews seems to be the logical option. His last outing came on Aug. 22. So, if he were to start on Thursday, it would be the fifth day after his last start. Leahy last pitched on Aug. 23, so it would be on short rest for him to go on Thursday.

If the Cardinals were to add another hurler — whether internal or external — this would be a day to watch as well. But, as of writing, Mathews seems like the most likely option.

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