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In years past, Liberatore has surpassed 100 innings of work in three different minor league seasons and reached as high as 149 2/3 innings in a regular season, that latter of which came in 2022 when he made starts in Class AAA and in the majors. But this season, one in which the 25-year-old lefty has had his first full run as a starter in the majors after working from the bullpen in 2024, has led to some “adapting and adjusting.”

“My body is not as conditioned as it was previously to this kind of workload,” said Liberatore, who reached 100 1/3 before the All-Star break arrived. “… This is also the highest level I've ever had this kind of workload at. There are stresses and things that I haven't dealt with before, but I've really tried to see that as an opportunity to learn about myself and to grow.”

Following conversations with Cardinals coaches and the team’s pitching staff that weighed Liberatore’s previous workloads and what would be best for Liberatore’s health and team success, Liberatore had his first start of the second half pushed to help manage his innings. He'll get his second-half start Saturday against the Padres after a stretch that has allowed him to feel “rejuvenated” as well as mentally “reset.”

“As much as it was meant to be a physical reset, I felt like I got a chance to kind of reset my mind and recommit to some of the principles that I like to identify with when I'm on the mound and pitching,” Liberatore said on Friday while seated inside the Cardinals' dugout at Busch Stadium.

Liberatore’s 100 1/3 innings over 18 starts tied him with Andre Pallante for second most among Cardinals pitchers when the All-Star break arrived. That body of work was 14 1/3 innings more than Liberatore tossed over 60 bullpen outings the year prior.

Amid the gap in starts, the left-hander threw an extended bullpen on Monday while the Cardinals were in Colorado that was a simulated game intended to replicate three innings of work, Post-Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold reported. Liberatore was set to mimic a regular five-day break after that included a bullpen days later.

“I feel really good. I think I'm in a really good spot right now, and I couldn't be more excited to take the ball tomorrow,” Liberatore said.

Liberatore said the Cardinals did not place an innings “ceiling” or “floor” with his workload. His body of work in 2024 provided some further understanding of how his body could respond to his workload.

Liberatore made 54 of his 60 appearances in 2024 out of the bullpen after starting 18 of his first 31 games in the majors since he debuted in 2022. Liberatore’s background as a starter provided Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol with a bullpen piece who could provide multiple innings.

The lefty’s ability to bounce back efficiently following appearances helped him make 11 starts on no days rest, 17 on one day rest, and 10 with two days of rest in between outings. He sported a 4.40 ERA for the season and a 3.69 ERA when appearing from the bullpen.

Liberatore made five of his six appearances during spring training out of the bullpen but logged multiple innings each time out. He worked as high as four innings in a start during his last Grapefruit League appearance before being named the fifth starter in the Cardinals’ opening day rotation.

“It's kind of one of those things (where) you spent a year in the bullpen last year, but you threw a lot of innings, so let's go out and compete and see how you respond, and then we'll make adjustments as we need to,” Liberatore said. “That's kind of how we've handled it and I think that that's probably the right way of going about it.”

Marmol reaches win No. 300

The Cardinals’ series-opening win over the Padres on Thursday marked the 300th victory of manager Oliver Marmol’s career. With the win, Marmol ranks 13th in franchise history among Cardinals managers.

Marmol has led the Cardinals since the start of the 2022 season after rising through the Cardinals’ system as a minor league manager and coach before joining the big-league staff in 2017. His clubs have had a .508 winning percentage in 590 games the 39-year-old skipper at the helm.

“I'm glad I'm able to do it here. I was just in the office,” Marmol said on Thursday night of his milestone win. “Someone else brought it up. The one thing I think about is that I like doing it with this group. I really do. We have a young core with some veterans sprinkled in. I like being able to go out there every day and compete with them. I'm glad we were able to do it today, but that's what comes to mind when I think of that.”

Thompson checks-in

Left-hander Zack Thompson was at Busch Stadium Friday for a check-in with Cardinals doctors as he looks to begin a throwing program within the next “week or two.” Thompson (left lat strain) said he is still dealing with discomfort. He’s remained at the Cardinals’ training complex in Jupiter, Florida, while he’s gone through his rehab.

He’s gone through programs to build strength in his shoulder after having been sidelined since early March, but has not thrown recently. He said the goal is to “get back on a mountain as quick as possible.”