Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Sunday that Matz (lat) remains week-to-week and "probably" won't pitch again this season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Matz landed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 14 with a left lat strain and has yet to resume throwing. While the Cardinals haven't indicated that his lat strain is serious enough to require surgery, the team won't look to rush back a historically injury-prone pitcher in the midst of a non-contending season. Assuming Matz remains shut down, he'll finish his second season in St. Louis with a 4-7 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 98:32 K:BB over 105 innings. He'll head into the 2024 campaign with two seasons remaining on the four-year, $44 million deal he signed in November 2021.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Undergoes MRI
Rotowire
Matz (lat) underwent an MRI on Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Matz has been shut down since landing on the injured list Aug. 14, and the Cardinals decided it was time to send him for a test. The team will decide on the next step after the results have been read, and per Denton, "If cleared soon, (Matz) could be brought back as a starter or reliever depending on the number of games left."
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Shut down two weeks
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Matz (lat) said Thursday he will be shut down from throwing for at least the next two weeks, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Matz was diagnosed with a left lat strain earlier this week, which occurred in the midst of his best stretch since signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals in November of 2021. He's scheduled to undergo a checkup MRI toward the end of August that will likely determine whether he can pitch again in 2023.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Goes on IL with lat strain
Rotowire
St. Louis placed Matz on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left lat strain.
This injury comes with brutal timing for the 32-year-old southpaw, who has delivered a 1.86 ERA and 38:7 K:BB in 38.2 innings (seven starts) since returning to the Cardinals' rotation in early July following a month-long stint in the bullpen. Zack Thompson will take over the vacant rotation spot, possibly through the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Lat strains usually require several weeks of rest and rehab, and St. Louis is fully out of contention here in mid-August.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Posts quality start, picks up win
Rotowire
Matz (4-7) earned the win Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings in a 5-4 victory over Kansas City. He struck out five.
Matz earned his fourth consecutive quality start, a stretch in which he's 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a 19:3 K:BB over 24 innings. His lone blunder Saturday came in the third inning, when he allowed a two-run home run to Nelson Velazquez. Matz is tentatively scheduled to face the Mets, who strike out the fourth-least in MLB but rank 21st in runs scored, in his next start.
Matz (3-7) allowed a run on five hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings to earn the win Saturday over the Rockies.
Matz gave up a run for the first time in three starts, but he turned in his third straight quality start. It's been an impressive return to form for the southpaw after an awful start to the season. He's now at a 3.91 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 93:32 K:BB over 99 innings through 24 appearances (16 starts). Matz will looking to keep it rolling next weekend in a road start versus the Royals.
Matz (2-7) tossed six shutout innings Sunday against the Cubs. He allowed just four hits and no walks while striking out two.
Matz tossed his second straight start of shutout baseball and put a stamp on an excellent month of pitching. Over five starts in July, Matz posted a 1.69 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 27:5 K:BB in 26.2 innings. Matz has allowed just one run over his last 17 innings and a home start against the Rockies this coming week should set him up for another favorable outing.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Throws quality start
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Matz allowed five hits and a walk while striking out six over six scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Matz completed six frames for the first time this season, and this was one of his sharpest outings. He's allowed six runs (five earned) over 20.2 innings across four starts since rejoining the Cardinals' rotation. The strong stretch has him at a reasonable 4.34 ERA despite a 1.44 WHIP and 85:30 K:BB through 87 innings through 22 appearances (14 starts). Matz has likely solidified his place in the rotation -- a situation that could even improve if the Cards become sellers at the deadline -- so he can be projected for a home start against the Cubs this weekend.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Gets off schneid with first victory
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Matz (1-7) earned the win over the Cubs on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings.
Matz has bounced between the rotation and bullpen this season, but coming into Thursday he hadn't picked up a victory in either capacity. The left-hander finally found himself in the win column in his 21st appearance of the campaign, going just deep enough to qualify for the victory. Matz needed 97 pitches (59 strikes) to get through five frames, though he gave up just three hits and one walk and didn't hit any batters. The veteran hurler has pitched well in two of three starts since returning to the rotation, and he's likely to stick in that role as long as he continues to be effective.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Struggles in start
Rotowire
Matz did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against Washington. He struck out four.
After tossing a gem in his return to the starting rotation last time out, Matz retired his first seven batters Saturday. However, the start went downhill fast, as Matz served up a pair of solo homers in the third to Alex Call and CJ Abrams. Through 12 starts (60 innings), Matz is 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA and a 58:23 K:BB, though he's been much improved since moving to the pen. Considering his struggles as a starter, it's unclear if Matz will stick in the rotation. However, he may be forced into at least one more start with Adam Wainwright (shoulder) shelved.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Draws another start
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Matz is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Nationals in St. Louis.
Given the Cardinals' thin starting pitching depth along with the fact that Matz struck out nine while allowing an unearned run over 5.1 innings in his outing last Sunday against the White Sox, it's not surprisingly that he'll get another turn through the rotation. Despite his excellent showing his last time out, the southpaw is sitting on an 0-7 record, 4.65 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over 71.2 innings this season, so he's still tough to rely on as a streaming option even in what profiles as a strong matchup. To Matz's credit, he's been far more effective while working primarily as a reliever since the beginning of June, pitching to a 1.93 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB in 18.2 innings over the past six weeks.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Strong in return to rotation
Rotowire
Matz allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out nine over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Sunday.
Matz was taken out of the rotation in late May and showed well as a reliever with a 2.81 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 16 innings across eight relief appearances. He carried over the success in a return to the rotation Sunday, as he was charged with only one run on an RBI single by Elvis Andrus in the third inning. Matz concludes a challenging first half with a 4.65 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 69:25 K:BB over 71.2 innings through 19 appearances (11 starts). With the rest of the Cardinals' rotation lacking consistency, Matz may have a good chance to remain a starter following the All-Star break.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Will get start Sunday
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Matz will start for the Cardinals on Sunday against the White Sox, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
That would have been Matthew Liberatore's turn, but he was optioned back to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. Matz has pitched a little better since being moved to the bullpen in late May and could get an extended rotation opportunity with Adam Wainwright (shoulder) also out of the picture, but there's not much fantasy appeal here in general.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Comes on in long relief Wednesday
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Matz tossed 2.1 innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 10-9 loss to the Marlins, surrendering two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two batters.
Heading into the week, Matz looked to be a candidate to start Wednesday, but the Cardinals instead had rookie Matthew Liberatore take the hill on three days' rest. Liberatore recorded just one out on 21 pitches and was shelled for four earned runs before the Cardinals called upon Dakota Hudson (2.2 innings) and Matz to work multiple frames out of the bullpen. With Adam Wainwright (shoulder) moving to the injured list earlier Wednesday, the Cardinals have an opening in the rotation again Sunday, but Matz could be passed over for the assignment in favor of Liberatore once again. Both Matz (32 pitches) and Hudson (52 pitches) handled heavier workloads than Liberatore on Wednesday and could be less fresh for Sunday.
