Oli Marmol defends indefensible decision to screw over Masyn Winn

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol strikes again. Only this time, his latest blunder is inexcusable.

Trailing by one in the top of the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Marmol summoned rookie shortstop Masyn Winn to pinch hit. But the decision backfired brutally in more ways than one.

Winn didn't only fail to get on base in his lone at-bat. He also snapped an 18-game hitting streak -- the second-longest stretch by a Cardinals rookie in franchise history. We cannot blame the talented young infielder for doing what his manager asked. However, we can hold Marmol accountable for putting him in the game under the circumstances, especially on a scheduled rest day for the 22-year-old.

After the game, Marmol explained his thought process. But it was too little too late. The skipper screwed over Winn, even if his logic made sense.

Oli Marmol defends indefensible decision to screw over Maysn Winn

Marmol said he confronted Winn about possibly using him as a pinch hitter during the hit streak, and the latter signed off on it. 

“I asked Masyn [Winn], ‘Hey, if this presents itself, what do you want to do?’ He said, ‘I want to win a ballgame. Put me in there,’ Marmol said, per John Denton of MLB.com. "It was the one decision I didn’t want to have to make all day," he added.

Nevertheless, Marmol and the Cardinals needed an offensive spark in the late stages of a close contest. So, he begrudgingly pulled the trigger, emphasizing that Winn gave his stamp of approval.

"It’s a one-run ballgame, and if you ask him [Winn] if he wants to extend [the hit streak] one more day or win the division, I’m pretty sure he’d be pretty clear on which he’d prefer," Marmol added.

We can't fault Marmol for trying to put his team in a position to win the game. But the judgment call looks even worse when considering Cardinals veteran infielder Brandon Crawford, who got swapped out for Winn, was 2-for-2 with a solo home run on Friday. Yes, the Phillies had a left-handed reliever on the mound in Matt Straham, and the veteran bats lefty. Nonetheless, he had momentum at the plate. Moreover, he boasts a higher career batting average against southpaws than right-handers.

This instance perfectly encapsulates why Marmol gets criticized as often as he does. Additionally, it also explains why the Cardinals are a game below .500 in what has been a turbulent 2024 MLB campaign.