Cardinals Key Hurler Could Be Out For Season With Surprise Injury

St. Louis cannot afford to lose a quality pitcher right now

Scott Neville | Aug 14, 2023

Cardinals Key Hurler Could Be Out For Season With Surprise Injury /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have been a shell of their normal selves this season, missing the postseason by a large margin and having to sell off impact players at the deadline.

One of the lone bright spots for St. Louis following a heartbreaking trade deadline was the improved play of left-hander Steven Matz -- who has appeared to be a frontline starter as of late. Sadly even that storyline is over, or at least postponed until the final days of the season.

"Disappointing news from the Cardinals this afternoon. Steven Matz suffered a lat strain after his last start on Saturday and will be placed on the injured list," The Athletic's Katie Woo tweeted Monday. "The remainder of his season is in jeopardy."

Since rejoining the rotation on July 9, Matz has gone 4-0 with a 1.86 ERA, 38-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .190 batting average against in 38 2/3 innings across seven starts.

The recent uptick in play has boosted his season tallies. The southpaw now has a 3.86 ERA, 98-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .263 batting average against and 1.33 WHIP in 105 innings this season. He has a 112 ERA+ after starting the season on a sour note.

Unfortunately, it appears that those numbers could be cemented for the season since it would be tough for Matz to be both shut down and ramped back up before season's end.

The veteran is signed through 2025 so it won't be the last time fans see Matz in a Cardinals uniform no matter how long the ailment lasts.

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Published Aug 14, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu