Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Oli Marmol Takes Hard Stance On Glaring Roster Hole

The Cardinals have had a rough week...
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a pretty a rough week, but big changes aren't coming in the near future.

St. Louis is 3-7 over its last 10 games after a tough loss on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. That tells a better story, though. St. Louis has lost six of its last seven games aside from Tuesday's much-needed 10-4 win over the Braves.

One part of the organization that has gotten a lot of flak is the bullpen. For example, Miles Mikolas went six scoreless innings on Wednesday and then the bullpen allowed four earned runs across the seventh and eighth innings.

The bullpen has been a big topic of conversation especially recently in large part because it has been struggling. Right now, the Cardinals' bullpen is ranked No. 26 in baseball with a 5.11 ERA. This is a far cry from last year when it was one of the team's biggest strengths. The Cardinals finished the 2024 season with a 3.64 bullpen ERA.

It has been a tough week, but manager Oli Marmol isn't giving up on his guys yet and talked about the team's strategy moving forward with the bullpen, as transcribed by The Athletic's Katie Woo.

"This is who we got and we got to get them back on track,” Marmol said as transcribed by Woo. "There’s nothing coming from down below (in the minors) where it’s going to change. We have to get these guys better, and the only way is for them to pitch.

"It’s absolutely frustrating. But we’re going to keep going with them. We have to continue to encourage them and continue to get on the other side of this."

There is talent in this bullpen. They jusst need to find a way to flip the switch.

More MLB: Cardinals Fan-Favorite Tied Obscure 50-Year MLB Record

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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