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The lefty who had been used primarily out of the bullpen in 2024 said that approach would make it easier to downshift his workload rather than needing to build it up if a rotational role awaited him. When one did and Liberatore, a starter through his path in the minors, was announced as a member of the Cardinals’ opening day rotation, his preparation allowed him a smoother transition into what has been a lesson-filled first half of the season.

“I think there are a lot of things that I did well in this first half, and I also think there are some things that I didn’t do so well in this first half, especially towards the end here,� Liberatore said on Saturday morning after making his final start before the All-Star break. “I think I’ve learned a lot, and there’s still a lot of room to grow and a lot of things to still learn.�

In a first half that marked his first full first half as a big-league rotation piece, the 25-year-old Liberatore went 6-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 100 1/3 innings across 18 starts. He’ll head into the second half with a workload that has already exceeded the innings total he had in 60 games (six starts) a season ago.

He ended his first half with a Friday start vs. the Braves at Busch Stadium during which he tossed a season-low in innings with three and allowed six runs in a 6-5 loss. The start against the Braves capped an eight-game stretch during which Liberatore had a 6.15 ERA. Before that, the lefty held a 2.73 ERA in 10 games to begin the season.

Heading into the break following a loss to Atlanta, Liberatore said the time off gives him a chance to “reflect� on his work and “audit� his routines and “processes� after experiencing a first half with a solidified rotation spot for the first time in his big-league career.

“I think it’s just really allowed me to dive deep into the routines and what it takes to be ready every fifth or sixth day to make a start,� Liberatore said of holding a steady role. “Seeing how hitters adjust to me and what adjustments I need to make in return to that. Physically, I like how my body has responded to certain things and hasn’t responded to other things. It’s just kind of a trial and error of what works and what doesn’t.�

Despite heading into the break following a rough outing against the Braves, Liberatore carries some noticeable strides into his second half.

Through 18 starts, Liberatore walked 5.2% of the batters he faced. As of Sunday, he ranked within the top 10 of qualified major league pitchers in walk rate. The walk rate is a 2.6% decrease from a season ago and the lowest he’s held in any of the four seasons he’s pitched in the majors. The lefty’s 31.3% chase rate represented a 3.4% increase from 2024 and ranked within the top 19% of qualified major league arms.

The areas of improvement give him a stepping stone coming out of the break.

“I’m walking fewer guys than I’ve ever walked before. Two of my last three outings, I didn’t attack the zone the way that I normally do, but the majority of my starts this year, I’ve just been going after guys and really trusting my stuff in the zone, and that’s definitely something I want to carry into the second half.�

Arenado’s absence

Third baseman Nolan Arenado was absent from the Cardinals’ starting lineup Saturday following his early exit on Friday night because of a sprained right index finger. The injured finger forced Arenado to leave the Cardinals’ loss to the Braves in the seventh inning and made throwing difficult.

Before Saturday’s day game, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he was awaiting a meeting with the club’s medical staff to further discuss Arenado’s injury and if they were “at a point where it makes sense to just give him the six days� off.

Arenado sustained the injury in the final game of his team’s road trip to Cleveland during the final weekend of June. It caused him to miss games in Pittsburgh. It led to a shoulder ailment that kept Arenado limited last weekend at Wrigley Field and earlier this week after he tried to compensate for the injured finger by using a different grip to swing a bat.

Graceffo recalled, Svanson optioned

Looking for a fresh arm in the bullpen after Riley O’Brien (two innings) and Matt Svanson (2 2/3 innings) both provided scoreless relief efforts, the Cardinals recalled right-handed reliever Gordon Graceffo from Class AAA Memphis. Svanson was optioned in a corresponding move.

“Having a fresh arm that can give you multiples was needed,� Marmol said. “Unfortunately, it has to come at Svanson’s expense, because he’s done a really nice job. I’ve grown to trust his outings.�

During his 2 2/3 scoreless innings, Svanson kept the Braves to no hits, no walks, and notched three strikeouts on 34 pitches. It matched the longest outing in the majors since making his debut earlier this season and lowered his ERA to 3.1226 innings and WHIP to 0.81 WHIP in 17 games.

Svanson’s work in relief came after O’Brien struck out four batters and worked around two hits and a walk in the fifth inning to keep the Cardinals within striking distance of Atlanta.

“They did a tremendous job,� Marmol said Friday night to reporters of Friday’s relief work.