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What a difference a year makes for the Cardinals as they return from shedding players to a more familiar perch of shopping at Major League Baseball’s annual trade deadline.

But is the marketplace all that different?

Their vantage point has changed, maybe not the prices.

As they yielded to their record in 2023 — their first losing season since 2007 — the Cardinals auctioned off their pitchers, including eventual World Series champions Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton as well as Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks. The Cardinals restocked their minor-league system with players they got in return for those four pitchers, all of them pending free agents. Now that the Cardinals are searching for pitching, now that they’re the buyer and not seller, what can they learn about the prices they’ll pay this trade deadline from the prices they charged as year ago?

Let’s look at the three trades.

Trade 1

LHP Jordan Montgomery, RHP Chris Stratton to Texas for RHP Tekoah Roby, LHP John King, and INF Thomas Saggese.

At the time of the trade, Montgomery was 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 games (all starts), with an 8.0 K/9 and a plus-2.1 WAR. Stratton was 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA in 42 games (all in relief), with a 9.9 K/9 and a plus-0.1 WAR. They were both rentals, as they would be free agents at the end of the season and ineligible for a qualifying offer and compensatory draft pick.

In return the Cardinals got a member of their current major-league bullpen in King and two prospects who rank in their top five, according to Baseball America. Roby is among their top pitching prospects (No. 3) and Saggese, the Texas League MVP a year ago, ranks No. 4.

The Cardinals traded a few months of control for 16 years (six each for the prospects and four years of control before free agency for King).

Trade 2

RHP Jordan Hicks to Toronto for RHP Adam Kloffenstein and RHP Sem Robberse.

At the time of the trade, Hicks was 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA in 40 games (all in relief) with a 12.7 K/9 and a plus-0.3 WAR. He, like the above pitchers, was a rental and pending free agent.

In return the Cardinals got two prospects who are now in Class AAA and rank among their Top 30 prospects, per Baseball America. Robberse, who had a strong start to this season, is No. 12 in the rankings, and strapping Kloffenstein is No. 16.

The Cardinals swapped a few months of control for 12 years.

Trade 3

RHP Jack Flaherty to Baltimore for 2B Cesar Prieto, LHP Drew Rom, and RHP Zach Showalter.

At the time of the trade, Flaherty was 7-6 with 4.43 ERA in 20 games (all starts) with an 8.7 K/9 for a plus-1.4 WAR. Also, about to be a free agent.

In return the Cardinals got a contact-oriented infielder who had a strong spring training and a lefty who, due to these trades, would vault into the majors and make a few starts for the Cardinals in 2023. Rom has missed this season due to injury and surgery. Prieto (No. 19) and Showalter (No. 15) both rank in Baseball America’s Top 30 for the Cardinals. The players did not rate as high for the Orioles.

The Cardinals traded a few months for 18 years of control.

***

The Cardinals are exploring deals that they feel would upgrade their rotation or augment their bullpen. A handful of the pitchers they’ve either expressed interest in according to sources or been tied to by other media outlets are under control for 2025 as well. That means the Cardinals could make a move at this deadline that also gives them an answer for next season, too.

In a few cases, when salary isn't being shed, that only increases the price they'll have to pay.

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Pressed again into a spot start, lefty allows all five runs as offense strings along zeroes in 5-0 loss that cost the Cardinals a compelling series at PNC Park.

Consider some of the starters in the trade winds, listed with the same stats as the former Cardinals above for quick comparison:

RHP Erick Fedde, White Sox: 7-3, 2.98 ERA, 20 games (all starts), 8.0 K/9, plus-4.7 WAR (signed for $7.5 million in 2025). The Cardinals have interest in the right-hander who has had a rebound season since returning from Asia. Given his production this season, his salary for next season is ludicrously market-friendly, so it’s natural the White Sox would seek a robust package in return. The Cardinals got two top-five prospects for them in the Montgomery deal. Sox shouldn’t expect less. From the Cardinals, those similarly ranked players would be Gordon Graceffo (No. 7), Quinn Mathews (No. 2), or any of the additions above, per Baseball America’s rankings. Plus, he’d be eligible for a comp draft pick, so any acquiring team should consider that in the deal and expect to pay the equivalent.

LHP Yusei Kikuchi, Blue Jays: 4-9, 4.54, 21 games (all starts), 10.1 K/9, plus-0.3 WAR (free agent). A genuine true rental, and a compelling addition for a rotation that does not have a lefty in it due to Steven Matz’s injury. The Cardinals have the second-lowest OPS in the majors against lefties (.623), but the division overall does not do well against lefties. Milwaukee ranks the highest at 15th in the majors vs. lefties (.718 OPS), Pittsburgh 18th (.707 OPS), Cincinnati 21st (.696), and the Cubs 23rd (.680). Kikuchi is owed the prorated remainder of his $10-million salary for the season. Given that it’s even the same teams, not hard to see how they would line up for a deal that’s something slightly less than what the Cardinals got in return for Hicks.

LHP Tyler Anderson, Angels: 8-8, 2.91 ERA, 20 games (all starts), 6.5 K/9, plus-4.5 WAR (signed for $13 million in 2025). An appealing blend of the above two pitchers. A lefty to add to the rotation in a division that is vulnerable to lefties and a superb salary through 2025 with the benefit of a comp draft pick if offered a qualifying offer. Oh, and Anderson is an All-Star. So, the Angels could command a high return, as they entertain teams interested in him, and the return could be at its greatest now. Certainly, the number of teams interested would increase the bidding. That has the Angels’ attention. Look at what the Cardinals got for Montgomery, toss in the comp pick, and go from there.

RHP Zack Eflin, Rays: 5-7, 4.09 ERA, 19 games (all starts), 7.1 K/9, plus-0.7 WAR (signed $18 million in 2025). Multiple media outlets have connected Eflin to the Cardinals this past week. The Post-Dispatch has confirmed only past interest in the right-hander. He has the year of control, but in contrast to Fedde, taking on his salary to relieve the Rays would slightly lessen the prospect cost of acquiring him. The Rays have done quite well in trades with the Cardinals over the past few years, most notably in the deal that landed Randy Arozarena, who just sparked this market by being traded to Seattle.

UPDATE: Eflin has been traded to the Orioles for a package that reportedly includes two of Baltimore's top-20 prospects, UT Mac Horvath (No. 13) and RHP Jackson Baumeister (No. 18), and a High-A outfielder, Matthew Etzel. We'll see where they rank for Rays, but likely the same amount of control and less highly ranked prospects (for the Rays, but higher ranked for O's) than they gave up for Flaherty, which is related to the salary they're taking on.

RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers: 7-4, 3.31 ERA, 18 games (all starts), 8.8 K/9, plus-2.3 WAR ($20 million player vesting option for 2025). A report in The Athletic on Friday insisted the Rangers “are going for it,” presumably taking Eovaldi off the market. Eovaldi’s postseason credentials would appeal to any team trying to shift its look for October. Plus, his salary cost is real for a team that has uncertain broadcast revenues, you’ll recall, was not exactly spending a bunch to repeat as World Series champs (see: Jordan Montgomery, Arizona LHP). Eovaldi’s player option vests if he throws a total of 300 innings from 2023-2024. He’s at 250 as you read this sentence. He does have a limited no-trade clause that will shape his market and adjust what the Rangers could get in return. Playoff pedigree, potential free agent, and if Rangers do listen to offers they could get back the equivalent of what they sent to the Cardinals.

Matt Carpenter knows well the skills that show Cardinals Lars Nootbaar can 'break out'

Outfielder hasn't had a consistent run of 50 or more games in two years, but his metrics and eye for the strike zone sure seem similar to a Cardinals All-Star.

The Cardinals begin a six-game homestand Friday with the first of three against the Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m.

Right-hander Sonny Gray (10-6, 3.54) will take the mound for the Cardinals.

In his last four starts, Gray has a 6.17 ERA. He's allowing batters to hit .330 against him with a 42% hard-hit rate.

The Nationals will counter with left-hander MacKenzie Gore (6-8, 4.20).

The Cardinals scored five runs in 3 1/3 innings vs. Gore earlier this month in Washington, a game in which Gore walked five Redbirds.

In his three most recent games starting with that one, Gore has a 10.80 ERA and hasn't completed the fifth inning.

The Cardinals are 53-49, second in the NL Central and six games out of first. ������Ƶ scored three total runs in losing two of three at Pittsburgh earlier this week.

������Ƶ took three of four in Washington earlier this month in the teams' only other meeting. The Cardinals scored six or more runs in all four of those games, the team's longest-such streak of the year.

Friday's pregame ceremonies feature reunions of both the Cardinals' 2004 National League title team as well as the 1964 World Series champs. Those festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.

The Nationals are 47-56 and fourth in the NL East after being no-hit by San Diego's Dylan Cease on Thursday in the finale of a three-game Padres sweep in which Washington tallied 11 total hits.

Before that Padres series, Washington combined to win five of six from a pair of NL Central foes in Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

The Nationals are trending in the wrong direction this month. In July, Washington's .690 OPS and its 5.15 ERA are both third-worst in the National League.

Lineups

CARDINALS

1. Masyn Winn, SS

2. Willson Contreras, DH

3. Alec Burleson, LF

4. Nolan Arenado, 3B

5. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

6. Brendan Donovan, 2B

7. Dylan Carlson, RF

8. Pedro Pagés, C

9. Michael Siani, CF

P: Sonny Gray, RHP

NATIONALS

1. CJ Abrams, SS

2. Lane Thomas, RF

3. Jesse Winker, DH

4. Juan Yepez, 1B

5. James Wood, LF

6. Keibert Ruiz, C

7. Luis Garcia Jr., 2B

8. Trey Lipscomb, 3B

9. Jacob Young, CF

P: MacKenzie Gore, LHP

Injury report

Tommy Edman (wrist surgery): Will resume his rehab assignment Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and be in the starting lineup at designated hitter. He had his rehab assignment interrupted by a sore ankle that required an anti-inflammatory injection and more than a week of rest. That delayed his return to the majors. He has yet to play in the field on his rehab assignment. Edman has not yet appeared in the majors this season due to offseason wrist surgery. Updated July 24

Riley O'Brien (flexor tendon): Felt good after his second appearance for Class AAA Memphis on his rehab assignment. O'Brien remains under scrutiny for his healthy, and will be until he's able to appear on back-to-back days for the Redbirds. His next outing is Friday. At some point within the next two weeks, if his outings continue to go well and he recovers well, the evaluation will shift from health to baseball performance. That will determine his return to majors. His fastball traveled consistently between 95 mph and 97 mph in his Triple-A outing. Updated July 24

Steven Matz (lower back stiffness): Matz threw his second bullpen session Saturday after resuming his throwing program. He is doing his workouts at Busch Stadium. Matz is looking toward an August return, if possible. Updated July 19

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As a young ballplayer and fan growing up a short distance but a long drive from Dodger Stadium, Lars Nootbaar knew all about the Cardinals and the times they “booted” the Dodgers out of the playoffs. Give it a few years and he became teammates with some of those Cardinals, including the one who initiated the offense.

The one who could change an inning with his feel for the strike zone.

The one who could reshape a National League Championship Series with an 11-pitch at-bat.

“Every dad loves Matt Carpenter,” Nootbaar said. “Just the way he plays, the way he can go opposite field and use the whole field. Takes good, professional at-bats. He’s like that prototypical guy who you know as a kid, being self-aware, you can model your game after and think you don’t have to be Barry Bonds. Honestly, kind of a grinder. That was what I saw first and foremost.”

The Cardinals return to Busch Stadium for their first homestand of the second half just a half-game back of a wild-card berth, looking for pitching before Tuesday’s trade deadline and starting to see the offense they imagined, just not in the way they planned.

Alec Burleson has thundered to prominence even as former MVP Paul Goldschmidt dropped in the lineup this past week. The Cardinals’ struggles against lefties like Washington’s starter Friday night, MacKenzie Gore, can be traced back to production from right-handed bats and a lefty-heavy lineup. Nootbaar, expected to be a jolt to the offense, is finding his rhythm after his return from a second injury this season. He has indicative metrics of hitter who could ignite an offense. The Cardinals just need “a healthy run from him,” manager Oliver Marmol said, “and then you’ll get a productive run.”

“I don’t think he’s had a breakout yet at all,” Carpenter said this past week at PNC Park. “He’s been an above average major league hitter since he got the opportunity to play. But I don’t think for a second he’s broken out as the player where everyone is like: OK, this guy is really good. Like what Burleson is doing right now. He will have a moment and he will have a year where he breaks out in the way Burleson is.”

The reasons both Carpenter and Marmol gave for their statements were similar: “pitch recognition,” “discipline,” “overall swing skill” and “knows when he can do damage.”

There are also familiar traits.

In his third major league season, Nootbaar echoes some of the traits Carpenter thrived with at the plate early in his career just before turning that natural feel for the strike zone, two-strike comfort and nose for pitches to drive into quantifiable production and a successful run as the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter. They both produced 24% or 25% above league average in their first extended season in the majors. Carpenter (10%) was among the best rookies in walk rate; Nootbaar (14.3%) was among the leaders overall. In 2023, Nootbaar was in the top fifth percentile in not chasing pitches and for walking, just as Carpenter was in his 44-double year of 2015, the first of his seasons for which Baseball Savant has that data.

There is even a striking resemblance when it comes to being called out on pitches outside the strike zone, as Nootbaar was on May 21 at Busch.

Nootbaar took a 97 mph sinker up slightly and in for a called third strike. He was ejected for his enthusiastic criticism, which included pointing out he led the league in such calls. In the dugout, Carpenter response empathized.

Been there. Done that. Knows how it pays off.

“I’ve literally done the same thing,” Carpenter said. “Nobody likes striking out. Sometimes you’re leaving it up to the umpires to make the decision, especially in a big spot or a full count. Over the long haul, that trait and that skill — you’ll get more positives out of that than negatives. I can’t tell you how many times that 1 for 3 with a walk saves your day, saves your week versus, OK, I don’t want to leave this borderline pitch and now I’m 1 for 4 and I grounded out to third.

“In the moment, it’s frustrating. Part of the reason why you lead the league in it is you’re so good at identifying balls and strikes. ... The way he takes an at-bat is very similar. I think that’s a skill — and I think front office people will agree — it’s a skill that doesn’t really age. It’s something, if anything, it will get better as he continues to play, as he continues to evolve in this game.”

Said Nootbaar: “I always felt like it’s an underrated skill that isn’t talked about. It’s not one of the five tools, per se. When they say Carpenter had a great eye, you understand what it means.”

From 2012 through 2018, right through the heart of his three All-Star appearances and MVP votes, Carpenter saw more pitches outside the zone called strikes than any other hitter. He also saw a higher percentage called, at 4.9%. This season, Nootbaar has had 3.6% of the pitches outside the zone called strikes on him. No one who has seen 1,000 pitches outside the zone or more has a percentage higher.

That prompted Carpenter to point out something he never had that Nootbaar could.

They call it “ABS.”

Defensive shifts and the game’s spike in velocity prompted a change in Carpenter’s swing to become more power-oriented. The automated ball-strike (ABS) system could bend the game back toward a hitter like Nootbaar. ABS is headed toward the majors with possible test runs at spring training, Commissioner Ron Manfred said. If a challenge system is in place for 2026, that would give Nootbaar the right to question the umpire’s call and let the ABS decide. Tech will decide who has the sharper eye.

“Lars is going to really take advantage of it,” Carpenter said.

Before they were teammates on the Cardinals bench in 2021, Nootbaar was already aware of Carpenter’s career and how it personified the payoff for being diligent with the strike zone. Drafted in 2018, Nootbaar became a Cardinal the summer Carpenter hit 36 homers, leading the league at one point. At his locker this past week, Nootbaar recited some of Carpenter’s stats, like those homers and the year, in 2013, he broke Stan Musial’s club record for doubles with 55.

“Just being a fan,” Nootbaar explained. “Being in the organization and seeing a guy like that — a guy who controls the zone. That’s something I could do. Left-handed hitter, right-handed thrower. That’s something I can do. ... I have a better understanding of how (pitchers) are going to do stuff, but I’m not at his level yet. He talked with me about being 32 or 33 and mind and physical came together and meshed. I know for me, there’s more in there.

“It comes with reps and confidence.”

The reps have been lacking.

Nootbaar’s spring was abbreviated by fractured ribs, and his return was truncated by an oblique strain. In the past two seasons, Nootbaar has yet to play a stretch of 50 games with the Cardinals due to injuries. The closest he came — coming out of the All-Star break last year — he played 48 consecutive games and hit .297/.384/.509 for a .893 OPS. Everything about his game traces back to that — staying on the field to get the reps. Carpenter made the point that Nootbaar is more likely to have a slow burn to his breakout because he takes the walks, because he takes so many pitches and doesn’t pile up hits in a burst. That “run has to be longer,” Carpenter said.

That takes more pitches. That takes health. That takes at-bats.

Nootbaar has a keen eye for where it could take him.

“I’m like, ‘He’s got a Silver Slugger at home, he’s a three-time All-Star and he’s led the league in doubles,’” Nootbaar said of Carpenter. “Comparing it now is like a little weird, for me. Those are things that I would like to get to.”

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On the brink of a fourth successive loss, Class AAA Memphis rediscovered its winning ways behind an all-around offensive effort.

Eight players recorded at least one hit for the Redbirds, including a trio of solo home runs in the third inning, to propel them to a 6-5 win over Columbus Clippers on Thursday night at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Memphis scored the first five runs of the game before holding on for a slim victory behind a strong bullpen that allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings. 

As part of the early offensive outburst, right fielder Jordan Walker and catcher Ivan Herrera drilled back-to-back solo blasts to lead off the third inning. First baseman Luken Baker then followed up three batters later with his team-leading 27th home run of the season to push the Redbirds' lead to 5-0. 

Walker's blast, his fifth of the season and first of July, had an exit velocity of 102.2 mph and traveled 369 feet, while Herrera's third home run with Memphis snuck out down the right-field line at 336 feet and with a 92.9 mph exit velocity. Baker's home run barely left the ballpark at 334 feet, and it represented the 27-year-old's fourth home run of July. 

Center fielder Victor Scott II, the Cardinals' third-ranked prospect, had a two-hit effort, as did left fielder Matt Koperniak and designated hitter Gavin Collins. Memphis totaled 11 hits, reached base four times via walks and went 2 of 9 with runners in scoring position. 

Cardinals 18th-ranked prospect Cesar Prieto had one of those hits, an RBI single in the first inning to open the scoring. The Redbirds' only other run came in the fourth inning when Collins scored on a sacrifice fly from Walker, which extended the Redbirds' lead to 6-2. 

Despite the strong offensive start, Memphis starting pitcher Ian Bedell allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 3⅔ innings. The University of Missouri alum had four strikeouts but departed in his shortest start of the season, handing it off to a bullpen tandem of Andre Granillo, Jacob Bosiokovic, Kyle Leahy and Ryan Loutos. 

Granillo (1⅓ innings) and Bosiokovic (two) each had scoreless showings, while Leahy allowed one run on three hits in one inning. Loutos earned his 10th save of the season with a scoreless ninth that included two strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.04.

Right-handed pitcher Chen-Wei Lin, Class Low-A Palm Beach: The Cardinals' 22nd-ranked prospect carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning in Class Low-A Palm Beach's 5-1 victory against St. Lucie at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, finishing with six innings of one-hit, one-run action. As part of the dominant outing, Lin struck out a season-high nine batters and picked up his sixth quality start of the season. A one-out triple by Willy Fanas in the sixth spoiled Lin's bid at a no-hitter, and Fanas scored on a fielding error one batter later. Lin faced just two over the minimum, and outside of the triple and error, the only other baserunner to reach was Ronald Hernandez on a hit by pitch in the second inning. The impressive showing provided quite the bounce back for Lin, who allowed six runs on six hits in four innings in his final start before the All-Star break. With the victory, Lin moved to 6-5 this season with a 3.51 ERA, 84 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in 82 innings. 

First baseman Chase Davis, Class Low-A Palm Beach: One night after going hitless in five at-bats, the left-handed hitting outfielder drilled a pair of doubles as part of a two-hit performance in the PB-Cards' victory. The multi-hit effort marked Davis' 16th of the season, including his sixth game with at least two extra-base hits. After striking out in the first inning, Davis lined a double to right field in the third and later came around to score on Jose Cordoba's two-run double. Davis added a two-out double in the fifth inning but was left stranded in scoring position, and he grounded out and struck out in his final two at-bats. Despite the two-hit performance, the Cardinals sixth-ranked prospect remains in search of more consistency after winning Cardinals minor league player of the month in June. Through 14 games in July, Davis is hitting .200 with a .274 on-base percentage and 18 strikeouts. 

Left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews, Class AA Springfield: In his fourth start of the season for Class AA Springfield, the 6-foot-5 left-hander permitted two runs on five hits with five punchouts and three walks in 4⅓ innings — the shortest start of the season for Mathews since April 19 when he was with Class Low-A Palm Beach. Mathews, who tossed 63 of his 93 pitches for strikes, allowed a solo home run in the third inning and a run-scoring single in the fifth, the latter of which knotted the game at 2-all. The southpaw retired the first six batters of the game, including three via strikeouts, before serving up a leadoff home run to Jeron Williams. From there, Mathews allowed seven baserunners to reach in his final 2⅓ frames, although only one came around to score, on Jeremy Arocho's RBI single in the fifth inning. After rising up the minor league ranks in short order, Mathews owns an 0-1 record and a 6.46 ERA across his past three starts with Springfield with 18 strikeouts to seven walks in 15⅓ innings.

Outfielder Joshua Baez, Class High-A Peoria: The 21-year-old snapped a 21-game homerless drought with a three-run blast in the fourth inning of Class High-A Peoria's 5-3 victory over South Bend at Four Winds Field in South Bend, Indiana. Baez, who went 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored, turned on the fifth pitch of his at-bat in the fourth and sent it beyond the right-field wall for his ninth home run of the season. The blast marked just the second extra-base hit in the past 15 games for Baez, who possesses a .170 average and .296 on-base percentage through that stretch. 

Shortstop Jonathan Mejia, Florida Coast League: Looking to build upon a recent stretch of strong play, the Cardinals' 30th-ranked prospect extended his hitting streak to six games and had a season-high three stolen bases in a 5-2 loss by the Cardinals' Florida Coast League affiliate to the FCL Marlins. Mejia recorded one of the two hits for the FCL Cardinals, reaching on a two-out single in the seventh inning. He also reached base via a walk and hit by pitch, improving his slash line to .283/.450/.370 in July. 

What was expected to be a series of key hearings next week in the bankruptcy case of the parent company of Cardinals and Blues telecaster Bally Sports Midwest has been postponed.

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Diamond Sports Group has been in bankruptcy for more than a year amid the collapse of the regional cable sports network television model under which it operates as it tries to restructure itself to survive. Hearings that had been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in a Houston federal bankruptcy court had been expected to provide significant clarity on what will happen with commitments Diamond has to numerous MLB, NHL and NBA teams that it televises, including the Cards and Blues — who are in the midst of long-term contracts with the company.

A lawyer for Diamond asked the judge who is handling the case for the delay because he said the company is nearing completion of negotiations with Comcast Xfinity, a major programming distributor that in May dropped Diamond’s regional sports networks that include Bally Sports Midwest in ������Ƶ.

“We believe that we have made substantial progress on resolving our issues with Comcast,” Diamond attorney Brian Hermann said in the status hearing this week.

Diamond is expected to continue to show Cardinals games for the remainder of the team’s season, but there is urgency for a resolution to the bankruptcy case because the company televises numerous NHL and NBA teams and those leagues begin play in October.

Hermann said Diamond understands it needs to move quickly and plans to do that, lock in remaining deals and get a plan confirmed. The company wants to emerge from bankruptcy before the NBA and NHL seasons begin and believes it has made significant progress in talks with those leagues. Hermann thinks the company has “days of work” to figure out if it can finalize deals with Comcast, the NBA and NHL.

“It is not lost on the debtors that we need to move quickly,” Hermann said. “We have been moving quickly, and we will continue to move quickly to get to confirmation.”

Cardinals flashback

The Cardinals plan to honor the 1964 and 2004 World Series versions of the team Friday night in this milestone anniversary season for each, and Bally Sports Midwest has adjusted its schedule so it can show the ceremonies.

Its pregame show will begin at 6 p.m., a half hour move-up, then carry the festivities that start at 6:30 p.m. leading into the game against Washington at 7:15 p.m.

Among the more than 30 members of the 2004 team scheduled to appear are Baseball Hall of Famers Tony La Russa and Scott Rolen, plus Cardinals Hall of Famers Ray Lankford and Jose Oquendo. Many of the ’64 Cards have died, but seven players from that team are to be on hand, including Ray Washburn, Charlie James and Carl Warwick.

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PITTSBURGH — How the Cardinals want to utilize left-hander Matthew Liberatore ran headlong Wednesday into what they needed from him, again.

Something as uncontrollable, unpredictable and tempestuous as an evening rainstorm in Atlanta led to a series of events that, by Wednesday in Pittsburgh, had thrust Liberatore once more into a spot start. A missed catch in center field added to a problematic second inning, and all of the runs in the Cardinals’ 5-0 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park came against Liberatore. He was out of the start in the fourth, two innings before the game offered an opportunity they sure would like to use him in for relief.

“Absolutely. We’re at our best if he’s part of that lefty equation,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “There would have been two spots based on usage where he could have a sixth inning (assignment). We’re at our strength when he’s in relief and part of the three-lefty mix.”

A series previously defined by close games — alternating 2-1 decisions — capsized for the Cardinals in the finale with the shutout. Pirates slugger Rowdy Tellez, a last-minute addition to the lineup to replace injured Bryan Reynolds, stung Liberatore with two RBI hits, including a 447-foot homer that reached the Allegheny River. Tellez’s solo homer came on Liberatore’s 69th and final pitch.

The bullpen allowed one hit from there, but the Cardinals could not manage to get one breakthrough hit against Bucs starter Martin Perez. A day after clawing for two runs against one of the pitchers with the lowest ERA in the majors and edging Paul Skenes, the Cardinals could not get a run against one of the pitchers with the highest ERAs for the Pirates. That cost them the series and winning road trip, and it allowed the Pirates (52-50) to inch within a game of the Cardinals (53-49).

“We just haven’t produced against lefties, plain and simple,” Marmol said. “Our righties have been about average, and our left-on-left production is fairly low. It’s been all year. We’re battling through it. There have been some games that are better than others. This is one that didn’t go our way.”

With less than a week before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Cardinals are shopping, and their list is crystallizing, even as the market is not.

Only a few teams have identified themselves as sellers, elevating the asking price at the moment when demand is clear and supply is not. The Cardinals are interested in starting pitchers who they believe would upgrade their rotation, according to sources.

They also intend to look for an addition to fortify the bullpen — an annual reliever hunt for almost any contending team. The lineup and roster are stacked with left-handed bats — they started Wednesday’s game without a right-handed bat on the bench — and while there is some internal sentiment to add a right-handed bat, the Cardinals feel that production must come from the same place, within.

Surges toward career norms from Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado would help counterbalance troubles against lefties like Perez (2-5). He walked five Cardinals but held them 0 for 3 overall on three groundouts with runners in scoring position. The middle of the order, all right-handed hitters, went 1 for 7 with two walks vs. Perez and his 5.61 ERA.

While the Atlanta series that added another doubleheader to the schedule did not invite much work for the Cardinals’ left-handed relievers, the Pittsburgh series did, giving a window into how that side of the bullpen is shifting and what Liberatore would provide.

“What he has in the past,” Marmol said. “He’s been able to give you two out of three (vs.) lefties. He can also give you multiples based on the lineup. In a perfect world, he’s part of that three-lefty mix, and he can do what we’ve seen him do whenever he’s not having a spot start.”

As a reliever this season, Liberatore has a 3.62 ERA, and he’s struck out 23 against 27 hits allowed in 32⅓ innings. Lefties are batting .211 against him and slugging .290 with more strikeouts (17) than hits (16).

The Cardinals turned to John King in a decisive spot Monday against the Pirates to give them a different look and see how the ground ball-getting lefty did. He misplaced a wild pitch that decided the game in a 2-1 loss.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals turned to lefty JoJo Romero, one of the leading setup lefties in the majors and their top strikeout lefty. He allowed a double and the game-tying run.

Liberatore would have given the bullpen a third look from a lefty to throw at the Pirates if not for needing him to start.

Three doubleheaders in the span of 10 days disrupted the normal turn of the rotation, and rather than press a veteran into a start on short rest, the Cardinals opted Wednesday for the bullpen game. They did not go into it with a pitch limit for Liberatore, preferring instead to watch his velocity for clues of fatigue. Liberatore pitched around a walk in the first inning. He pitched into a mess in the second.

Six batters into the inning, Liberatore hit a Pirate, walked two and allowed two singles. Still, he had an escape hatch after allowing two runs when Connor Joe lifted a ball into the left-center gap. Center fielder Dylan Carlson dove to make the catch — and he had it until landing on the turf and dislodging the ball.

Instead of the Cardinals getting a third out, the Pirates added two runs. Tellez, who entered the game a .148 hitter against lefties, had two hits off Liberatore, including the homer that cleared the stands and cemented the score. The homer came on a fastball that lacked the zip and signaled Liberatore’s exit.

The 40-pitch second inning caught up with him.

“I came out with the same mentality,” Liberatore said of pitching like his previous start, a strong six innings with eight strikeouts on June 26. “Felt like the velo(city) was there to start, for sure, most of the way through that second inning. And then I just lost some steam.”

“Running into a little bit of a wall,” Marmol said.

It’s a wall that he would not have to climb coming out of the bullpen gate. Last year, Liberatore was yo-yoed between levels, and this year, the Cardinals readily admit he’s been volleyed between roles. The start Wednesday was his sixth in 34 appearances. In a “perfect world,” as Marmol said, it would have been his 34th appearance in the middle of a closer game. But it hasn’t been perfect.

Rainouts happen. Needs surface. Wants must wait.

“I think the path of my season so far has not been easy, but I enjoy that,” Liberatore said. “And I’ve certainly learned a ton about myself in this game and how to prepare, how to compete when you don’t feel your best. It’s been a very valuable experience for me, for sure.”

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