Cardinals: 3 biggest mistakes Oli Marmol made so far this season
By Mark Powell
Cardinals: Oli Marmol sticks with Jordan Hicks
We’re not sure the kind of clout Jordan Hicks has with Oli Marmol, but it’s something we should all aspire to.
Hicks has an ERA over 12 to start the season. He’s been absolutely dreadful, and single-handedly cost the Cardinals two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a series they split at home. Without Hicks, that could’ve been a series sweep.
Instead, Hicks pitched in two of those games and looked rather lost. Cards fans were furious, and wanted Hicks off the team or at the very least pitching in less stressful situations. Eventually, Marmol relented, but not before the reliever cost St. Louis a couple of games — all of which will count in the NL Central standings at the end of the season.
As Redbird Rants pointed out just days ago, the right call would be to option or part ways with Hicks altogether. He needs to get this right, and Marmol playing him in games that count isn’t going to help matters:
"“Hicks has not been good for over three years. Since missing the 2020 season after opting out, the right-hander has posted a 5.40, 4.84, and now a 12.71 ERA in consecutive seasons. There was a lot of optimism entering Spring Training that Hicks could revamp some of his repertoire and return to being a high-leverage reliever for the Cardinals…If anything, it feels like he has taken major steps back in his development.”"
The time is now to make that call, but Marmol refuses to do so.