Over a six-batter stretch of the first inning, Cardinals’
left-hander Matthew Liberatore repeatedly changed his pitch mix and threw
four-seam fastballs, cutters, changeups and curveballs. The common denominator
of those pitches, however, was that each one found the heart of the plate –
usually thigh high – and were throttled by Angels’ hitters.

Zach Neto and Mike Trout hit a four-seam fastball and a cutter
for singles that left the bat at 100.8 and 106.5 mph. Jorge Soler drilled a middle-middle
changeup for a double. Vaughn Grissom smacked a four-seamer 99.3 mph for
another run-scoring hit. Then, Jo Adell delivered the biggest blow of them all
by hitting a curveball that popped up out of Liberatore’s hand and split the
plate some 110 mph for a 405-foot, two-run homer.

Pitching for the first time in 10 days, Liberatore left far
too many pitches over the middle of the plate, and the Angels made him pay time
and again in a big first inning of a 5-1 defeat of the Cardinals in Anaheim.

“The start of that game, (Liberatore) was off in all areas,” manager Oliver Marmol told Cardinals TV. “He hadn’t pitched in a while, but timing, (velocity) and shape were all off. He was able to settle in and punch out seven after that, but the first six got on and it was tough for him to put anybody away in that first (inning).”   

a blast from the past 💥 pic.twitter.com/GCDr5gqrQI

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 22, 2026

The Angels had five hits, five runs and a walk against
Liberatore to set the tone for a forgettable night for the Cardinals.
Liberatore did settle down and hold LA scoreless over the next 4 1/3 innings,
but the first-inning damage was too much to overcome.

Cardinals Work to Save Bonus Money to Sign 17-Year-Old Shortstop, UCLA Closer 

Much like last season, when the Cardinals saw a promising
start disappear with massive struggles after the break for the MLB All-Star
Game, the Cardinals are seemingly stuck in neutral. St. Louis lost four a
fourth straight time and for the 10th time in the past 14 games
before and after the All-Star break. The Cards are in a grueling stretch of 20
games in 20 days before of Thursday’s makeup game at Busch Stadium against the
Dbacks.

That slide was made worse by late-game collapses on Sunday
in Arizona and Monday night in Anaheim. The Cardinals squandered a seven-run
lead on Sunday and lost 8-7 in 10 innings. On Monday, the Angels went into the
ninth inning 0-48 when trailing after eight, but they rallied for two runs
against Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien, who retired just one of the six batters
he faced.

Burleson provided three hits in loss

Alec Burleson had three hits, but he didn’t have much help
against rising LA pitcher Walbert Urena, who lowered his 2026 ERA to 2.78 with six
innings of one-run baseball. Mixing a 100 mph four-seam fastball and a darting changeup,
Urena struck out five and allowed just six hits.

Homer Run Derby champion Jordan Walker extended his hitting
streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 23 games with literally with a
base hit in the ninth inning. Walker pulled a smash down the line that bounced
off the third base bag for a hit in his final at bat of the night.

Hustlin’ Halos 🕺 https://t.co/TUQB2j7eFYpic.twitter.com/d4phIf4aCr

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 22, 2026

The Cardinals will try and avoid a fifth straight loss and
a sweep at the hands of the Angels on Wednesday when they send right-hander Hunter
Dobbins to the mound for another spot start. Dobbins, who was acquired from the
Red Sox in December in the trade centered around All-Star first baseman Willson
Contreras, is 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA in five games (three starts) in 2026 with the
Cardinals.  

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