MLB rumors: White Sox trade asset, Cardinals turbulence, Rangers winning
By Kevin Henry
Cardinals: Oliver Marmol looks bad again thanks to Willson Contreras
Oh the drama there has been in St. Louis already this season, including the back and forth regarding Willson Contreras and his place behind the plate.
The biggest signing of the offseason by the Cardinals, Contreras was pulled from behind the plate after some struggles by the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff. Looking as if he would be the team’s designated hitter moving forward, manager Oliver Marmol made a quick 360 to insert Contreras back behind the plate, having plenty of people scratching their head about the move and the reasons behind it.
The back and forth has seemingly had an effect on Contreras as the All-Star catcher is batting just 2-for-20 in his last seven games heading into Saturday’s action. That leads to a slash line of .100/.217/.250, something that simply can’t happen for a Cardinals team that is still trying to find its footing and climb up the National League Central standings.
Even worse for the Cardinals is the fact that Contreras is slashing just .132/.220/.321 over his last 15 games (53 at-bats) and .184/.268/.342 over his last 30 games (114 at-bats). It’s clear to see that something is off with Contreras, and that’s a problem for the Cardinals and another black mark against Marmol in what has been a very turbulent season under the Gateway Arch.