The St. Louis Cardinals have had a day to regroup since Sunday's heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Phillies . Monday was an off-day, and now the Cardinals will prepare to take on the Baltimore Orioles to kick off the next homestand.
Closer Riley O'Brien had a meltdown against the Philadelphia Phillies and surrendered six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Manager Oli Marmol kept him in the game, leading to some criticism among the fanbase.
Former Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson had a message for anybody laying blame at Marmol's feet after Sunday's collapse and urged fans not to direct their anger towards the skipper.
"Your closer is one strike away multiple times from finishing the game," Gibson said. "Oli doesn't catch flack there. Yeah, the bullpen gave up some runs late the last five games, but why do you think that is? This is what we talk about, why starting pitching is important. It just was a long stretch where the bullpen finally caught up to them a little bit."
Jul 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from the dugout prior to a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Cardinals bullpen was stretched quite thin over the past several games, and the team was in desperate need of a day off. They had used all of their higher-leverage arms in the game already, so the only one left was O'Brien.
At that point, there isn't anything Marmol can do. Yes, other arms were available, but they weren't exactly high-leverage arms, so it's hard to pin anything on Marmol and blame him for what took place. There simply was not anything he could have done to prevent this.
To make matters worse, the Cardinals had two starting pitchers land on the injured list over the weekend, so the bullpen was already being used frequently to cover innings. The day off should help the Cardinals reset a little bit and prepare for their series against the Orioles.
And once the Cardinals find somebody to cover the fifth rotation spot in the absence of Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins , things should ultimately take care of themselves as the team tries to navigate the rest of the season in year one of their rebuild.
In truth, the Cardinals are not a contending team, so placing blame on Marmol when the bullpen is overly taxed and the rotation is stretched thin ultimately is not the right move.
The Cardinals need to focus on the future and building up their farm system anyway.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Kyle Gibson Calls Out Oli Marmol Critics After Sunday's Heartbreak .
