CHICAGO — By skipping Matthew Liberatore’s final scheduled start of the season and ending the lefty’s first full season in the rotation, the Cardinals open up a game for the reliever they’re eager to see make the same leap as Liberatore in 2026.

The Cardinals plan to avoid using Kyle Leahy, the National League’s leader in relief innings, out of the bullpen so that he can start Sunday’s finale against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

“I’d like to get him the opportunity to taste that before going into the offseason,” manager Oli Marmol said. “We talked about extending him (to start) and him coming in ready. Might as well allow him to kind of feel it and then prepare for it. All of it. I like it. I do.”

In the Cardinals’ bullpen since opening day, Leahy leads the majors with 32 appearances of a

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