Cardinals Announce Pitching Strategy for Spring Training Opener

Here is who is expected to throw on Saturday.

Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are two days away from playing their first spring training game. They'll open up at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida against the Washington Nationals. The game will not be televised, but the Cardinals will at least be back in action for the first time in 2026.

With Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan gone, the Cardinals are going to look a lot different from 2025. Without Gray, left-hander Matthew Liberatore is essentially their ace. He will get the ball in Saturday's opener.

Cardinals' insider Jeff Jones revealed who will be pitching behind him after his start.

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Cardinals' pitching plans for Saturday

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Fernandez (64) delivers a pitch during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"Pitchers with scheduled game innings behind Liberatore on Saturday: [Quinn] Mathews (2), [Ryan] Fernandez, [Luis] Gastelum, [Packy] Naughton," Jones posted on X

Liberatore showed a lot of promise early on in 2025 and will have a much bigger role in 2026. The Cardinals have a lot more pitching depth entering this season, even without Gray. Mathews is almost ready for the Major Leagues and will be pitching at least two innings on Saturday.

Fernandez struggled in 2025 and spent a lot of time at Triple-A Memphis. Gastelum hasn't made his Major League debut yet, having spent last year at Double-A Springfield, but he has a live arm that the Cardinals are excited about.

Naughton has been out since 2023, but with John King gone, he could be a candidate to become the second left-hander in the Cardinals' bullpen along with JoJo Romero this season. For Saturday's game, a lot depends on how deep Liberatore can go.

Typically, starters last just two innings in their very first start of the spring, so he likely won't go too deep, but Mathews should be able to cover at least two innings in relief, so that puts the Cardinals in a good spot.

It's going to be an interesting slate of games for the Cardinals this spring. There will be a lot of roster competition, especially on the pitching side, but it should be interesting to see how the starters fare in Grapefruit League play and what will ultimately happen with the team's rotation before the 2026 season begins.

Liberatore went 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA last season.

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