On Sunday, Steven Matz made his second appearance of spring training for the St. Louis Cardinals in their Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals, and he did not disappoint.
He allowed just one run on three hits over 3.2 innings pitched.
The veteran lefty walked three batters and struck out five as the Cards rolled to a 5-1 victory at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.
Matz has looked good so far this spring, and his presence could be a boon for a Cardinals rotation with a lot of question marks.
After his start, Matz commented on his spring resurgence, as shared below.
“You want to show the fans. You want to show the coaches. You want to show all these new faces what you can bring to the organization and the team,” Steven Matz said. #STLCardshttps://t.co/oaBfpV5VHn
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) March 13, 2023
Clearly, Matz is feeling good about where things stand at the moment.
After an injury-plagued 2022 season, Matz comes into 2023 with something to prove.
Last season, he missed significant time recovering from a shoulder impingement as well as a knee injury.
He went 5-3 with a 5.25 ERA in 15 appearances.
However, if healthy, Matz could be a steady presence in the Cardinals rotation.
St. Louis did not add a starting pitcher over the winter, instead choosing to bank on the health of Matz and Jack Flaherty.
But a healthy Matz could help the Cardinals in 2023.
This is a good sign for the Cardinals, especially with Matz currently being the only member of the rotation under contract for 2024 and 2025.
He has a 1.35 ERA this spring and is looking to prove that he can stay healthy for a full season.
Matz joined the Cardinals in November of 2021 on a four-year, $44 million contract and is entering his second year with the team.
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