Cardinals seek to climb in wild-card race, send Rockies to ninth loss in a row
The St. Louis Cardinals aren't conceding their season despite shipping away three of their top relievers ahead of the trade deadline.
They will continue their bid for a National League wild-card berth when they host the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in the second contest of a three-game series.
The Cardinals rallied for a 3-2 victory Monday night on Brendan Donovan's two-run pinch double in the eighth inning. St. Louis has won four of its past five games to move within three games of the New York Mets for the final wild-card slot.
'We're going to take out shot every night and we're going to have fun doing it,' Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
'There's a lot of belief in that clubhouse,' Donovan told the FanDuel Sports Network. 'No matter the circumstances, we're going to show up, we're going to prepare, and then we're going to play hard. That's baseball. Just like anything, there's ups and there's downs, but it's how you show up and respond. That's what we're trying to do.'
Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar will be questionable to play Tuesday after exiting Monday's game with a left knee contusion. Donovan's availability to play in the field also is in question as he continues to recover from a left groin strain.
With Colorado scheduled to start left-handed pitchers the next two games, right-hand hitting outfielder Jordan Walker is expected to play a key role in the St. Louis offense.
After hitting .210 through June 22, Walker went on the injured list with appendicitis and used his rehab stint in the minors to retool his swing. Walker hit .304 in July with an .807 OPS, and he is hitting 9-for-28 so far in August.
The Cardinals on Tuesday will start left-hander Matthew Liberatore (6-9, 3.98 ERA), who failed to complete five innings in his past three starts -- due in part to poor support in the field.
Liberatore allowed nine runs in 12 2/3 innings in those games, but only four of those runs were earned. He is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies.
The Rockies will turn to left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-12, 5.53) as they try to snap an eight-game losing streak.
Freeland should be back to full strength after pitching through illness in previous start, a 20-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Interim Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer praised Freeland for giving his depleted team some innings, given his health.
'(Freeland) was clearly still battling fatigue, clearly,' Schaeffer said after the game. 'He gave us all he had. He battled through that game. I don't think he was quite over the sickness. It was continuing to take a toll. That's not an excuse. ... I'm saying how it is.
'But I thought he competed well. In general, (he was) missing over the plate, happened throughout the game. I mean it's a good-hitting team. They hit some good pitches too. They hit some good pitches off Freeland.'
Freeland is 0-3 with a 5.45 ERA in seven career games against the Cardinals.
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