St. Louis Cardinals vs Toronto Blue Jays

St. Louis Cardinals at Toronto Blue Jays (2026-08-02). Matthew Liberatore vs Max Scherzer at Rogers Centre.

Starters — Liberatore has a 5.26 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 102.2 innings, with 8.77 K/9, 3.51 BB/9, and 1.67 HR/9. His last three starts were mixed: 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 7 K, 2 BB; and 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB. The strikeout rate is playable, but the WHIP and home run rate remain pressure points, and his recent trend is up. Scherzer has a 9.49 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in 24.2 innings, with 6.57 K/9, 5.11 BB/9, and 3.28 HR/9. His last three starts were 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 BB; 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 K, 3 BB; and 2.1 IP, 7 ER, 0 K, 3 BB. The profile shows clear command and contact issues, especially the elevated walk and home run rates, and his recent trend is down.

Teams — St. Louis enters with a .691 OPS and 478 runs scored, backed by a 4.17 team ERA and 1.35 WHIP. The Cardinals are just 2-8 over their last 10, so current form is weak even though the offense has been slightly more productive than Toronto’s on the season. Toronto has a .684 OPS and 438 runs scored, with a 4.09 team ERA and 1.31 WHIP. The Blue Jays have been better recently at 6-4 in their last 10, and their season-long pitching indicators are a bit cleaner than St. Louis overall. From a betting matchup perspective, both lineups have seen modest production this year, but the stronger recent team form belongs to Toronto, while the more established starter workload belongs to Liberatore.