Cardinals pitcher Steven Matz tries to hear through his earpiece while pitching the eighth inning against the Twins on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the game 9-2, with Matz earning his first career save.
Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz recalls being in the celebratory high-five line after he recorded the last out of his club’s series-sweeping 9-2 win vs. the Twins Sunday at Busch Stadium when he realized his four scoreless innings of relief earned him his first career save.
It took a heads-up from Brendan Donovan when Donovan handed the ball from the final out to the left-hander for Matz to remember MLB’s rules for a save.
“I’ll definitely save the ball and tell the kids one day,†Matz said Monday from in front of his locker.
Matz, 33, qualified for the save by completing three or more innings of relief to close out of his team’s win after entering the game with his team already leading. The save came in Matz’s first regular-season outing this year as he works from the Cardinals bullpen for the time being. He is in line to slide into the rotation when it expands to a six-man staff when he is expected to start on April 16 vs. the Mets, his former club.
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Though the longtime starter is in a different to begin this season, the preparation for his debut Sunday had a similar feel to what’s he accustomed to.
Because of a 58-minute rain delay that signaled the end of starter Andre Pallante’s day after he completed five innings, Matz prepared for his first outing of the season like a start. He warmed up in the outfield and threw long toss as the Busch Stadium grounds crew prepared the field for play to resume.
In the outing, Matz allowed one hit, struck out two batters and didn’t issue a walk to help the Cardinals sweep their first series of the season. He threw 51 pitches and induced five groundouts vs. Minnesota.
“It’s been a while since I’ve faced hitters,†said Matz, who hadn’t thrown in a game since March 19. “Just to be able to have everything really sharp. I’m really happy with my curveball. Got a strikeout and a few outs with that. My fastball command was great. I got a few outs with my change-up. I was really happy with how everything was working for me.â€
The outing also helped the Cardinals avoid stress on their bullpen before welcoming the Angels to town for a three-game series that began Monday.
While a member of the bullpen and a left-handed option who can provide length, Matz said he has looked to stay ready for when he could be called upon. He pointed to Sunday’s outing as an example and noted that appearances in shorter spurts are spots he’ll look to be prepared for.
“I’m just trying to stay ready and try to stay sharp and just be available for whatever they need,†Matz said.
How soon could he be ready following Sunday’s appearance?
“We’ll know here in a couple of days, right? We’ll learn more of how he recovers and is able to bounce back,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Does he need two or three days after 50 pitches? We’ll have a better sense here in the next couple days.â€
The outing was a strong regular-season introduction for Matz after success during spring training.
Ahead of his shift to the bullpen to begin the regular season, Matz sported a 2.29 ERA and completed 19â…” innings across five outings during the Grapefruit League. The spring buildup culminated with a six-inning start in which the lefty allowed one run and reached 85 pitches.
“I think that’s the main thing,†Matz said when describing what the outing reinforced. “It’s just not trying to do more than what I did in the spring. Just kind of carry that same momentum into the season, and that’s what I was able to do. I feel good about it.â€
Springfield roster set
The Class AA Springfield (Missouri) Cardinals will open the year rostering top-ranked Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt, 2023 first-round pick Chase Davis and pitching prospect Tekoah Roby. Left-handed pitching prospect Cooper Hjerpe, who was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2022, will begin the season with Springfield but is on the seven-day injured list. An injury designation was not provided for Hjerpe, who missed time on the IL in 2023 and 2024.
Roby was named as the affiliate’s opening day starter by the manager Patrick Anderson.
The assignment to Class AA for Wetherholt means he will skip Class High-A after 29 games in Class Low-A following last summer’s MLB draft.
Also skipping Class High-A following a 2024 showing in Class Low-A is relief prospect Luis Gastelum. Gastelum, 23, posted a 2.65 ERA and struck out 73 batters while walking 11 in 51 innings of relief for the Palm Beach Cardinals in 2024. The right-hander is native of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico and was signed by the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2023.
Extra bases
The Sunday win over the Twins gave Marmol his 250th win as a big league manager and made him the 16th Cardinals manager to eclipse the 250-win mark.
- Class AAA Memphis hitters combined for 16 hits during their 13-9 Sunday win over Louisville, the Reds’ Class AAA affiliate. In the effort, Thomas Saggese (2 for 5), Matt Koperniak (2 for 6), Bryan Torres (4 for 5), Jose Barrero (3 for 5) and Cesar Prieto (3 for 5) each had multi-hit games. Prieto’s three-hit game included a three-run home run.
