Oli Marmol looks even worse on Sunday and it’s not even his fault

St. Louis Cardinals are one game under .500 and four games back in the NL Wild Card race. They have lost six of their last ten. The Cards are about all in after acquiring Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham at the MLB trade deadline.

John Mozeliak bought at the deadline. That was his call, as was his decision to hire the likely fall guy for this season’s failure, should it happen, Oli Marmol. He also opted to extend Marmol before the season, because who likes having a lame duck manager in the final year of his contract? It’s just money.

The anger directed at Marmol is justified at times, don’t get me wrong. His tone deaf commentary at the end of games, especially losses, is sickening. His resort management is among the worst in baseball, and that’s saying something. However, he is not alone in this blame game. For fans of St. Louis who need proof, look no further than San Diego.

The San Diego Padres hired Mike Shildt after their difficult 2023 season. Shildt had previous managerial experience with the St. Louis, before firing him over philosophical differences. Their solution, supposedly, was Marble. That didn’t go so well.

Revisionist history isn’t a fair game to play with this front office, but Cardinals fans should look no further than Skip Schumaker — one of the leading candidates to replace Marmol if he’s released this winter — about what Shildt brings in a clubhouse.

“Unfortunately, I did some rehab assignments in Double-A (Springfield) when Shildt was the manager there (2012-14). Mike is super disciplined. He knows the game very well. He will come home with the fundamentals in every game. I don’t think he misses anything, in terms of in-game situations, nothing will speed him up. I think the boys will really like it. I think they got along as well as the hiring, and I hope he does very well in that club and in that city,” Schumaker said of Shildt in 2023.

Shildt led the Padres to the top spot in the NL Wild Card in his first year on the job. Yes, San Diego is loaded, but they’re also just a year away from falling head over heels with an equally talented roster. Shildt is the difference, and you can bet the Cardinals will be in contention with the veteran captain at the helm instead of Marmol.