Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore Exits Royals Start Due to Fatigue

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore left his start against the Kansas City Royals early due to fatigue, after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits over four innings. The team and manager Oliver Marmol expressed no high concern about injury, attributing the issue primarily to mechanical struggles and possibly a "dead arm" phase following his transition from bullpen to starting role. Liberatore's velocity notably dropped below 90 mph during the game, which led to his removal alongside the team's training staff. Despite recent struggles in back-to-back starts, Liberatore had been having a breakout season with a 3.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP before the fatigue issue emerged. The Cardinals have not announced any further testing or the exact timing of his next start, but he remains tentatively scheduled to pitch in the upcoming series against the Blue Jays. This development adds uncertainty to the Cardinals' pitching rotation as they prepare for a series against the Dodgers.