The good news is that Liberatore’s fastball was all of the way back today after he left his previous start with “fatigue” amid a velocity drop. Still, it was another mediocre outing for the left-hander, who was stuck facing nothing except for righties and switch-hitters today, He’s given up 14 earned runs over 14 innings in his last three starts, taking his ERA from 2.73 to 3.93. He gets the White Sox next, so that should help.

The 25-year-old hurler had allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk in his four-plus frames before departing with a trainer in the fifth inning. His velocity and spin rate were both down on Thursday, which may have sparked concern and been part of the reason for his removal. Look for the Cardinals to provide an update on his status as soon as more information becomes available.

For the first time in a long time, Liberatore ran into trouble during this start. The Rangers jumped on him for five runs through the first two innings and his command was off. His sliders didn’t have their usual bite and Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford turned around some cutters that got a hair too much of the plate. Still, he managed to settle down through the middle innings and saved his ratios a bit. He’s scheduled to face the Royals at home next time out.

A Randal Grichuk homer was the only damage. Liberatore was lifted with a 3-1 lead after 88 pitches, and many Cardinals fans were left screaming mad after the D-backs came back with four runs off the bullpen in the eighth. Of course, it might have happened anyway; in the three early games today, four of the five starting pitchers besides Liberatore (including Merrill Kelly in this contest) were charged with runs after being left in to start an inning and getting pulled with no outs recorded. Liberatore is 3-3 with a terrific 2.73 ERA through 10 starts. He’s set to pitch in Texas next time out.