Cardinals fall to Cubs 5-3 on June 23, 2025, as Matthew Liberatore struggles and Kyle Tucker homers. Can a dominant bullpen and a top prospect save the rotation?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
The familiar sting of a loss to the Chicago Cubs hit Busch Stadium on Monday night, as a rough start from Matthew Liberatore put the Cardinals in an early hole they couldn't escape, ultimately falling 5-3 in the series opener.
The Cardinals' bullpen combined for 4.1 scoreless innings, but the offense couldn't overcome the early deficit.
The game turned in the third inning. With the Cardinals already trailing, Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker launched a three-run homer off Matthew Liberatore, capping a five-run outing for the St. Louis starter over just 4.2 innings. While the offense showed signs of life, with Brendan Donovan collecting two hits and an RBI and Ivan Herrera adding a solo shot in the sixth, it wasn't enough to mount a full comeback. The loss drops the Cards to 42-36 on the season, a frustrating start to a crucial divisional series.
While Liberatore's start was the story, the performance of the bullpen offered a silver lining. The relief corps shut down the Cubs for 4.1 scoreless innings, keeping the game within reach. This kind of dichotomy—a struggling starter followed by a lights-out bullpen—naturally leads fans to wonder about reinforcements. And as it happens, a potential answer is making noise down on the farm.
That answer could be Tekoah Roby. The hard-throwing righty, recently highlighted in a Bleacher Report ranking that placed the Cardinals' farm system 15th overall, continued his impressive 2025 campaign with five strikeouts in his latest Triple-A start on Monday. Acquired in the Jordan Montgomery trade, Roby has been dominant since returning from injury, posting a 2.49 ERA in Double-A before his recent promotion. With the big-league club needing rotation stability, Roby's development is no longer just a future hope; it's a present-day storyline to watch closely.
One loss, even to the Cubs, doesn't define a season. The Cardinals have two more chances to take this series and will need a bounce-back performance from the starting rotation to do it. The bigger question, however, is whether the solution to their pitching inconsistency is already in the organization. The better Tekoah Roby pitches in Memphis, the louder the calls will get for his arrival in St. Louis.
