Zack Thompson turned relief role into starter audition. Now it's Matthew Liberatore's turn: Cardinals Extra

They’ve watched relief work slingshot another lefty back to the rotation this summer. He’s starting Saturday vs. the Reds.

“I think we saw how that benefited Zack (Thompson),” Marmol said. “Sometimes it allows you t see that you can just be on the attack because it is a different mentality of how am I going to navigate this lineup three times through. You’re playing the long game rather than, ‘I’m just going to pound the zone and get after people.’”

First impressions of Liberatore, the reliever, were encouraging.

The lefty pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to finish Thursday’s loss to Atlanta. He retired all four batters he faced, struck out one, and had some of the signs the coaches hoped to see. His slider saw a spike in velocity, up an average 2.8 mph and landed at 89.3 mph. His four-seam fastball and two-seam fastball also saw increases in velocity. Although he threw only a dozen pitches, he was able to use five different pitches.

“If I have the weapons, I might as well use them,” Liberatore said.

Necessity brought Liberatore back from a rehab assignment during this road trip, but curiosity has put him in his current role. All season, he and Thompson, both rookies and both top left-handed prospects, have had alternating orbits. Liberatore has mostly been a starter, bouncing between Class AAA and the majors before this stint in the bullpen. Thompson won a relief role on the opening day roster only to be demoted to rebuild his stamina for starting, and then he struggled working on new pitches and was back in relief. Now, as Liberatore moves to the bullpen, it’s Thompson’s who is starting — and has a 3.86 ERA and two wins in his past four starts.

Thompson’s circuitous route to the rotation got accelerated by the bullpen.

“The bullpen forced me to simplify, and I don’t mean on the mound,” Thompson said. “With a five-day schedule as a starter I could overthink things. I could go run too much or throw too much or spend that time tinkering with things, working on things. There’s no time for that if you’re going to be ready as a reliever. I learned how to simplify everything and take that into starting.”

The move to the bullpen was a disruptor — taking his habits that filled the vacuum between starts and streamlining them, so he knew what really made him better for any outing, from the start of the game to finishing one.

The Cardinals adjusted Liberatore’s weightlifting schedule to accommodate the bullpen role. Bullpen coach Julio Rangel has been guiding him through the timing of things in the bullpen — when he should start stretching, how he can read the game, how to plot where he might be needed in the game. And, like Thompson, he has less time to tinker and throw and more time to be ready to pitch.

“Two things come to mind,” Thompson said when asked about how the bullpen has made him better as a starter. The first was the sharpened schedule. He continued: “I learned you’re capable of pitching at your best after doing a lot more than you think you can. You’re capable of more than you realize.”

The coaches and manager had a similar reason for wanting to put Liberatore in spots where he can have that same revelation, and “we’re wanting to see that a couple of more times,” Marmol said.

For one, Liberatore’s slider might operate at a higher velocity, even as a starter.

It’s the path Thompson (and others) have taken back to the rotation.

They have spent the summer in alternating roles only to get to the same spot.

“They’re both, every time out, competing for an opportunity to have a spot up here moving forward — not this year, moving forward from this year,” Marmol said. “When you’re in their position or the rotation or the ’pen, it’s, ‘Where can I bring value to stay up here and continue to prove that I belong?’ They’re in similar spots when it comes to that.”

Newcomer Saggese promoted to Triple-A

The infielder who thundered through the Class AA Texas League after being traded to the Cardinals at the deadline, Thomas Saggese received his promotion to Class AAA Memphis on Friday and will join the top affiliate this weekend. Saggese, 21, was acquired from Texas with other prospects for pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Since, the right-handed hitting utility fielder batted .331 with a .662 slugging percentage and a 1.065 OPS for the Springfield Cardinals.

He had 20 extra-base hits in 33 games, and three of them came when he hit for the cycle for the S-Cards.

Overall this year, Saggese (pronounced sah-jay-cee) has batted .318 with a .551 slugging percentage and put himself in position to compete for big-league attention in spring training.

Carlson continues recovery

Outfielder Dylan Carlson continues to make progress back at Busch Stadium as he recovers from a torso injury and lingering pain and limitations related to a high ankle sprain earlier this season. Carlson has experienced increased range of motion with the ankle and subsided pain since receiving a shot to attack irritation throughout the area. The goal of the treatment was to see how he responded and if he could avoid surgery to address the pain.

Carlson has been able to increase the intensity of his baseball activities without setbacks, though the schedule prioritizes small steps not strides toward a return. The Cardinals are hopeful he’ll be available before the season ends.

Goldschmidt, etc.

Paul Goldschmidt is the Cardinals’ nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award given each year to a player who captures the Hall of Famer’s humanitarian commitment off the field and leadership on it. Goldschmidt has been a past nominee by both the Cardinals and Diamondbacks for the honor due to his involvement with children’s charities, children’s hospitals, and baseball clinics. … The No. 32 carved in center field at Great American Ball Park is for the 35th anniversary of Tom Browning’s perfect game. Browning, who died this past December at age 62, authored a perfect game for the Reds on Sept. 16, 1988. … Reds great Joey Votto (left shoulder discomfort) officially began a rehab assignment Friday with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky.