Matz (1-1) took the loss against Oakland on Wednesday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings while striking out four.
Matz got off to an decent start, striking out three of the first six batters he faced before getting tagged for two runs on an Esteury Ruiz home run in the bottom of the third. The lefty would then allow three consecutive hits to open the fifth, leading to three more runs coming across for Oakland as he took his first loss of the season. Matz had not allowed more than two runs in any of his first three starts coming in, though he's now given up 15 hits over his last 9.2 innings of work. The home run from Ruiz was also the first long ball that Matz has allowed this season.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Coughs up four runs
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Matz yielded four runs (one earned) on eight hits over 4.2 innings during a no-decision against Arizona on Friday. He struck out two.
Matz repeatedly worked around potential danger through four shutout frames before Arizona woke up and scored six runs in the fifth inning, with four going on Matz's line. Fortunately for him, only one run was earned due to his own throwing error. Matz had allowed just two runs through 10.1 innings before Friday's start, which was his shortest outing of the year. The veteran southpaw is sporting a 1.80 ERA with an 8:3 K:BB over 15 frames. Matz is projected to start in Oakland next week.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Sharp again Saturday
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Matz (1-0) picked up the win Saturday, allowing four hits and a walk over five scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over the Marlins. He struck out three.
The veteran southpaw wasn't dominant, generating only 10 swinging strikes among his 85 pitches, but all four hits off Matz were singles as he again limited hard contact. He sports a 1.74 ERA through 10.1 innings to go with a 6:3 K:BB, and Matz lines up to make his next start on the road next weekend in Arizona.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Yields two runs
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Matz did not factor in the decision Sunday after allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three in the Cardinals' loss to the Dodgers.
Matz rolled through five shutout frames before the Dodgers finally got a couple of runs home in the sixth inning. He threw 51 of 81 pitches for strikes and forced 11 swings-and-misses, including seven with the changeup. The 32-year-old posted a solid 3.86 ERA over 105 frames last year and will be relied upon at the back end of the Cardinals' rotation this season. Matz is currently projected to face the Marlins next.
Cardinals' Steven Matz: Won't be fully stretched out
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said recently that Matz will not be as stretched out as the team's other starters at the beginning of the season, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Matz is healthy, but the Cardinals are electing to methodically build him up this spring after he dealt with numerous injuries in his first two seasons with the club. The left-hander has been throwing live batting practice sessions, but Marmol said the next time Matz faces hitters could be in a Grapefruit League appearance. While he is expected to open the season as St. Louis' No. 5 starter, it sounds like it might be a little while before Matz is ready to go five-plus innings.
Cardinals' Steven Matz: Throws bullpen to start spring
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Matz (lat) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, the first day for pitchers and catchers at Cardinals camp, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Matz was limited to 105 innings in 2023, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP over 25 appearances (17 starts) before being shut down in August. It's encouraging that the southpaw is throwing to begin camp after avoiding offseason surgery. The Cardinals focused on pitching in the winter, but Matz is still penciled in for a rotation spot regardless of if the team breaks camp with a five-man or six-man unit. From a fantasy perspective, the injury-prone 32-year-old is a low-end option after showing significant year-to-year inconsistency, but he should be considered fully healthy once he gets into spring games.
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
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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
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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
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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.
