The St. Louis Cardinals continue to muddle through one of the worst seasons in memory, and manager Oliver Marmol appears asleep at the switch.
When asked by reporters about the mindset of the players after St. Louis' 4-2 loss at the Texas Rangers on Monday, Marmol responded:
"Talking to the guys today and everybody's pretty confident."
However, when reporters asked the same question of Cardinals' veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright, who started Monday's game, he responded differently:
"Everyone's frustrated."
The difference in opinions, and Oliver Marmol's seeming inability to read his own clubhouse, has St. Louis Cardinals fans asking, "What would you say you do here?"
Marmol, who spent five years a Cardinals coach before being promoted to manager for the 2022 season, presided over the team's worst start to a season in 50 years after St. Louis fell to 10-22 in early May.
Oliver Marmol led the St. Louis Cardinals to the National League Central title with a 93-69 record in 2022. However, the team has yet to recover from a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. St. Louis held a 2-0 lead entering the ninth inning before the Phillies scored six runs in the frame to take the game.
Philadelphia, riding the momentum against a shell-shocked Cardinals squad, won Game 2 with a 2-0 score to sweep St. Louis out of the playoffs.
Neither Marmol nor the Cardinals have recovered.
The St. Louis Cardinals have not been the same since the sudden end to the 2022 postseason. St. Louis' president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, has taken his share of the heat for how he constructed the 2023 roster.
However, as the team continues to struggle despite seemingly having more than enough talent to be far better than its current record, the rage of Cardinals fans is becoming ever more laser-focused on Oliver Marmol.
While the Cardinals lost their season opener 10-9 to the Toronto Blue Jays on March 30, St. Louis rallied to win the next two games of the series at Busch Stadium. After winning two straight on April 1 and 2, the Cardinals won the opening series of the year.
However, April 2 also marks the final day that St. Louis had a record over .500 at 2-1. The series victory is still one of just two on the season for the Cardinals, who also went 2-1 against the Colorado Rockies from April 10-12.
How long can the St. Louis Cardinals stick with Oliver Marmol as the team's manager?
Despite having more than its share of star power, the Cardinals continue to bring up the rear in the NL. At 25-36 entering Tuesday's games, only the American League's Kansas City Royals (18-42) and Oakland Athletics (12-50) are worse.