The Cardinals are coming off a wild 10-9 win and their fifth straight series victory, and the mood around St. Louis has shifted with it.
Even after an uneven series in Cincinnati and a tougher test looming against the Philadelphia Phillies, the energy around the club feels different this season. Manager Oli Marmol says he feels it, too.
During his regular spot on KMOX, Marmol was asked about a fan observation that he looks happier this year. He didn’t push back.
“It’s not close,” Marmol replied. “There’s a clear direction as to how we’re gonna get to where we’re all having a good time. We’re all showing up to the park, and we’re really taking a shot at making a deep run at the playoffs.
“With that clear direction comes some freedom of just developing these guys, and knowing what the goal is every day. I’m having an incredible time managing these guys.
It’s a fun group. In that clubhouse, before the game, after games, after a tough loss, like, they’re doing it well.
It makes 162 [games] a heck of a lot more fun.
“So, I’m enjoying it more than ever. I know our staff is, and I know our players are.”
Marmol has faced plenty of criticism during his time leading the Cardinals, and his overall record sits at 390-386. But his comments pointed to something bigger than his own mood: they offered a glimpse into the direction of the organization.
There’s a sense now that the club is operating with a clearer plan. Ahead of the trade deadline, shortstop Masyn Winn made a comment about Chaim Bloom’s trade approach that set off plenty of reaction from Cardinals fans. At the time, it was fair to wonder whether Bloom had made the message simple: “No matter what, we’re making deals.”
That’s how it played out. The Cardinals sold.
And now Marmol, who always seems locked in, is openly enjoying the ride. The club looks aligned, the quotes match the actions, and the on-field decisions have all pointed in the same direction. Marmol has a job with a purpose again: getting the Cardinals ready for their next World Series.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have An Outfield Opening After Pereira Setback
The Cardinals had barely gotten a look at Everson Pereira before the latest interruption hit. St. Louis claimed the outfielder off waivers from the White Sox in early August, and he gave them a useful early glimpse in 11 games with a strong on-base presence before a pitch left him dealing with a left hand contusion. His absence created a fresh roster shuffle for a club that has been trying to sort out the edges of its outfield mix as the season moves into its late stages.
Pereira went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 22, and in a corresponding move the Cardinals activated infielder Ramn Uras from the 60-day IL. For a team that needed Pereira to keep building momentum after arriving in St. Louis, the setback leaves another opening for playing time and another question about how long the Cardinals will have to wait before they can really evaluate what he might bring. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Need An Intriguing Young Arm Sooner Than Expected
Elbow and forearm issues have left the Cardinals scrambling for rotation help, with Andre Pallante on the Injured List and Hunter Dobbins joining him there as the club tries to keep the staff afloat. Quinn Mathews has already been moved into the rotation, and that is only part of the picture as St. Louis looks for enough healthy arms to bridge the gap.
One name that keeps coming up is Cooper Hjerpe, the 2022 first-round pick who is working in Triple-A and posting a 3.08 ERA across 14 starts this season. He is being viewed as a possible answer if the Cardinals need another starter soon, and with the current injuries piling up, the question is less about whether he belongs on the radar than how quickly the team may need him. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans May Revisit The Randal Grichuk Trade After This Surge
Randal Grichuk is back in the conversation for Cardinals fans, only now it is because of what he is doing at 35 with the White Sox. Mostly used as a designated hitter and as a pinch-hitter against left-handed pitching, Grichuk has been turning those matchups into real production, hitting .299 with a .937 OPS. It is the kind of late-career surge that naturally sends St. Louis back to a familiar question about the player it once developed, then moved on from after the 2017 season.
Grichuks Cardinals tenure always came with a split opinion: the power was real, but the plate discipline never fully caught up, and the reverse-split profile made him a tricky everyday fit. St. Louis sent him to Toronto after 2017, hoping the return would help elsewhere, but that deal never really delivered much for the Cardinals. So as Grichuk keeps carving out value in a narrower role, it is hard not to revisit how different things might have looked if the original investment had been handled another way. [Read more 🡒]