The St. Louis Cardinals have missed the postseason in back-to-back years, and Oli Marmol has become a popular punching bag among the fan base as a result. Some of the blame he's received has been warranted, but not all of it. Now, he's starting to show Cardinals fans that patience is a virtue, and he might be better in his role than most of the fan base had been willing to give him credit for.
The Cardinals won yet again on Sunday, to improve to 22-19 on the year. They swept the Washington Nationals on the road and have now won eight games in a row. They've gone from a team that had minimal expectations to one that might actually be good enough to linger around in the NL Wild Card race thanks to this run.
The Cardinals have gotten great pitching lately, and players like Willson Contreras and Victor Scott II heating up has helped the offense, but Marmol has done an outstanding job managing. That was on full display on Sunday.
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Cardinals fans are learning Oli Marmol might not be so bad after all
Miles Mikolas, another popular figure that Cardinals fans have complained about over the years, who has been better lately, was seemingly in the middle of another gem on Sunday before Marmol pulled him. Mikolas, a right-hander who entered Sunday's action with a 2.77 ERA in his previous five starts, had allowed just one run through 5.1 innings of work with five strikeouts against the Nationals before leaving the game in favor of Steven Matz. He had thrown only 69 pitches. Marmol's plan worked, and the Cardinals won the game.
Miles Mikolas was dealing (1 ER, 5 K through 5 1/3) but with the Cardinals clinging to a one-run lead and a strong lefty lane up for the third time through for the Nats, Oli Marmol goes to Steven Matz in relief, despite Mikolas throwing just 69 pitches.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 11, 2025
There are a couple of reasons Marmol made this move. First, Mikolas, while he's pitched well, has struggled this season when facing hitters for a third time. The opposition entered the day hitting .350 with a .809 OPS when facing the veteran right-hander for a third time, so Marmol wanted to avoid that, especially against an elite left-handed hitter like James Wood.
Second, the bullpen, thanks to elite starting pitching recently, was incredibly well-rested. Marmol used that to his advantage, and the bullpen was spotless.
It takes guts to pull a veteran like Mikolas, who had been pitching well recently, and in his outing on Sunday, especially after just 69 pitches. This move, and many others recently, aged beautifully. Not every button Marmol is going to push will work out, but his hit rate is improving. Things might've been rocky for a bit, but with more experience, Marmol is getting better. Sometimes, patience is a virtue.