Mathews extends MiLB strikeout lead, carries perfecto into 7th

Quinn Mathews has become something of an expert at getting batters to swing and miss. Double-digit strikeout nights are beginning to become the norm when he steps on the mound.

In that regard, Friday night was just another night at the office for the Cardinals’ No. 3 prospect. He fanned 12 batters over a dominant 7 2/3 innings in the Double-A Springfield Cardinals’ 3-2 win over Tulsa at Hammons Field, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. Cardinals No. 6 prospect Jimmy Crooks was behind the plate, catching all dozen of those punchouts, which marked Mathews' seventh double-digit strikeout night of the season.

“It’s pretty much the same old Quinn,” Crooks said. “Just go out there, dominate, be a bulldog, throw his best stuff. That’s what he did tonight.”

Mathews leads all levels of the Minor Leagues with 180 punchouts, 40 of which have come in four August starts -- 10 more than his first five Double-A outings combined. He boasts an 0.70 ERA with opposing batters averaging .128 for the month.

“He’s like a robot out there, there’s no highs or lows with him,” said Crooks. “He’s pretty much the same, but throughout, he’s very consistent. He goes out there and does his thing, takes it a pitch at a time and he’s just a bulldog out there, honestly. He shows no emotion, which is crazy with what he’s doing, but that’s just him because he wants to be a perfectionist.

"It’s fun to catch him.”

Mathews retired the first 19 batters he faced Friday -- fanning 11 of them. MLB’s No. 85 prospect dealt 99 pitches -- 68 strikes -- and allowed one run off two hits (a home run) and one walk.

“We have a really good connection,” Crooks said. “I feel like he feels comfortable with me calling, and then the same rules apply whenever he wants a pitch. We both have that kind of connection to where we know what we want, and what our game plan is going into that game. It makes my job easy. When I know he's going out there, I know he's going to dominate.”

While flashes of Mathews' strikeout prowess were on display during his time in Single-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria, he was not getting the number of strikes he wanted at the beginning of his Double-A stint. The more time he spent in Springfield, the more his adjustments have paid off.

His recent effectiveness has come from the shape of his pitches and becoming more comfortable at the Double-A level, according to Springfield’s manager Jose Leger. The Stanford product has been working with pitching coach Eric Peterson on the metrics behind his offerings.

“He's not afraid to throw his offspeed for a strike,” Leger said. “He elevates the fastball when he wants to. There's a little bit of deception there that also helps him get swing-and-miss, and he just has a good feel for pitching -- he knows how to set up hitters.”

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Mathews has taken the off-the-field work and gotten the results, allowing a combined 11 hits in his last four starts with just two runs allowed.

The Cardinals’ fourth-round pick from the 2023 Draft began the year ranked lower on the club's Top 30 Prospects list due to not having thrown a professional pitch. Despite starring for Stanford, he got his feet wet at the lower levels, rungs on the ladder he quickly ascended when his developing arsenal proved overwhelming for younger hitters. He has since skyrocketed up not only St. Louis' prospect list, but all of baseball's, putting himself in contention for end-of-the-year awards.

“It’s unbelievable what he’s doing and he’s got really good stuff working for him,” Crooks said. “He’s gonna play baseball for a long time.”