Ump show: Oli Marmol tries to shock corpse of Cardinals back to life with wild ejection

The St. Louis Cardinals have underwhelmed in the second half of the 2024 season. The Cardinals have won just 10 of their games since the All-Star break, and they've dropped seven of their 11 games in August. They continued their cold streak on Monday night with a 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

The Cardinals loss was the first of a pivotal three-game series against the Reds. Although both teams are behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, St. Louis entered the game just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. Yet, the team has done little to help themselves lately as they angle to enter the playoff picture.

Oliver Marmol gets ejected as Cardinals drop another game

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol attempted — and failed — to inject some life into his team as the game began to slip away. Marmol was ejected by plate umpire Stu Scheurwater after arguing a called ball while trailing 3-1 in the fifth inning. It was his fourth ejection of the season and the 13th of his career.

According to the broadcasters, Marmol was "barking all night." He was upset about a strike call earlier on Tommy Pham along with the ball call to Reds left fielder Spencer Steer.

Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott had allowed 12 earned runs over his previous 13 1/3 innings, but the Cardinals failed to take advantage. Abbott allowed just one run and five hits during his 6 2/3 innings. The Reds, however, took full advantage of Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray, who allowed six runs and five hits, including three homers.

Steer homered in consecutive at-bats and hit in five runs. Elley De La Cruz recorded his team-best 21st home run of the season. Both Steer and De La Cruz homered on successive pitches from Gray to take a 3-1 lead.

While the Redbirds have been slipping, the Reds have been surging. Cincinnati has managed to stay in contention despite their rough season. The Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers to wrap up a recent road trip. Entering Monday, they had won four of their last seven games.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak gave Marmol a two-year extension during spring training before the season, which would suggest the manager's job is safe for now. Still, his decision-making and roster-building have been heavily scrutinized over the past two years.

The Cardinals now stand just one game above .500 with a 60-59 record. The club now sits eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central and two games out of the third and final NL Wild Card spot.