Oli Marmol has done at least 1 thing right this season for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a team that has struggled this season. Despite a recent hot stretch, they are still five games below the .500 mark and 6.5 games back of first place in the NL Central.

One man who catches a lot of heat from fans and media is manager Oli Marmol, who granted, has made a few questionable decisions during his time at the helm of the Cardinals.

However, there is one thing he has been able to do quite well in 2024 despite the Cardinals' struggles.

The Cardinals signed Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million contract last offseason, and Marmol has done a fantastic job communicating with his ace.

The two were on the same page when Gray motioned for Marmol in the top of the sixth inning of his start against the Baltimore Orioles, prompting Marmol to pull his ace.

Sonny Gray and Oli Marmol are on the same page in 2024

Granted, it may seem odd to praise a pitcher when he motions for his manager during his start. However, there are other aspects that need to be taken into account.

While Marmol has had his fair share of struggles, being on the same page as his best pitcher is a huge win, and it shows that Gray and Marmol trust each other.

The right-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles but had to throw some extra pitches due to two errors by Masyn Winn. After allowing a three-run homer and recording the first two outs, Gray understood that his outing was limited, having tossed 31 pitches in the inning after cruising through the first five.

Simply put, Gray was honest with himself and knew that he didn't have much left in the tank that night. So, he put his faith in Marmol and was honest with him about where he was. Marmol then went to JoJo Romero to finish off the sixth.

"As much as I want to be like, 'Oh man, I'm tough,' I just thought it was the right thing," Gray said. "I was just kind of saying, 'Hey, I've got nothing left.'"

In the end, everything worked out okay. St. Louis won the game by a final score of 6-3 and Gray earned his sixth win of the season, lowering his ERA to 2.87. But while some may see Gray coming out of the game as a cop-out, it was more about him being honest and properly communicating with his manager.

For that, Marmol deserves credit. Communication with players, especially stars is key, and it ultimately goes to show that Gray and Marmol trust one another and made the right call when push came to shove.

The Cardinals and Orioles will play a doubleheader on Wednesday after Tuesday's game was suspended due to rain.