The St. Louis Cardinals began the 2023 season with two wins in three against the Toronto Blue Jays. Since then, they've only captured one victory and now sit at 3-6 on the year after a deflating loss to a divisional rival in the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Considering how electric this offense can be, they were lackluster in Milwaukee, scoring just seven runs across three games, with six of those coming in their lone win. Nevertheless, Oli Marmol explained why the Cards aren't panicking at this point, despite their struggles at the dish.
Via Katie Woo of The Athletic:
“Guys know what they’re capable of doing,” Marmol said prior to Saturday’s win. “It’s the, ‘How did I let that person get away with that pitch.’ It’s that type of frustration, that competitive frustration, not searching frustration. We’ve had searching frustration before — every team has it at some point.”
“That’s the type of frustration, is that they know what they’re capable of every night,” he added. “There’s a difference between knowing you’re good and not delivering the way you know you can.”
Marmol makes total sense. The Cardinals know what they're capable of. I mean, you have two MVP candidates at the top of your lineup in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Tyler O'Neill can still rake. Jordan Walker is already showing the makings of a future star early in his rookie campaign.
This lineup has all the talent to be an absolute nightmare for opposing arms on a nightly basis. The biggest question mark for St. Louis has been their pitching staff, who owns a 4.56 ERA as a group so far.
Despite stranding runners Sunday, the Cardinals offense boasts a .825 OPS. Sure, they still need to be a lot better with guys in scoring position, but there is no reason to be pessimistic at this point. St. Louis is still confident. The beginning of a three-game set against the Rockies on Monday is a chance to get back on track.
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