St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Angels (2026-07-21). Matthew Liberatore vs Walbert Ureña at Angel Stadium.
Starters — Liberatore has a 5.00 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 93.2 innings, with 8.46 K/9, 3.46 BB/9, and 1.63 HR/9. His last three starts were solid overall: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB; 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB; and 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 K, 4 BB. The recent form points in a better direction, but the home run rate remains a clear risk. Ureña carries a 2.88 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 81.1 innings, with 8.63 K/9, 5.09 BB/9, and just 0.55 HR/9. His last three were 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 5 BB; 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 4 BB; and 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 5 K, 2 BB. The trend is also down, with run prevention still strong overall but control issues creating volatility.
Teams — St. Louis owns a .705 OPS, 446 runs, a .242 average, and a pitching staff with a 4.15 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. The Cardinals are 4-6 over their last 10 games. Los Angeles has a .703 OPS, 437 runs, a .239 average, and a 4.60 team ERA with a 1.38 WHIP. The Angels are also 4-6 in their last 10. The offensive gap is minimal, but St. Louis brings the slightly better season-long run production and cleaner overall team pitching profile, while Los Angeles gets the more efficient individual starter by ERA and HR suppression.
