There are bad losses… and then there’s what the St. Louis Cardinals just did in Denver. It was so bad, that Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol trashes team.
Is Oliver Marmol on the Hot Seat?
Manager Oliver Marmol didn’t sugarcoat a thing after his club got steamrolled by the last-place Colorado Rockies, falling 6–0 in a game that felt more like a gut punch than a box score. His postgame message? Short, sharp, and already infamous.
“Worst game we played all year.”
That’s what Marmol told reporters — a quote quickly picked up by MLB.com’s John Denton, who blasted it across social media. And he wasn’t wrong.
Oliver Marmol was mentioned as leading the league for Manager of the Year as recently as late June, but now the writing on the wall, particularly with the new front office taking over next year, is that Marmol is not long for St. Louis.
The Rockies, owners of the worst record in baseball, had not thrown a single shutout all season… until Wednesday night. Clinging to fading postseason hopes, the Cardinals mustered just five hits and zero runs in a flat, lifeless effort that arrived at the worst possible moment.
Missed Opportunity in the Wild Card Race
This wasn’t just a loss — it was a missed opportunity. St. Louis entered the series with a chance to gain ground in the NL Wild Card chase. Instead, they dropped two of three to a team 25 games under .500.
Now sitting at 52-51, the Cards are fourth in the NL Central and trail the San Diego Padres by 3.5 games for the final Wild Card spot. It’s a discouraging setback — especially with a four-game showdown against those same Padres starting Thursday.
Pallante Struggles, Offense Disappears
Andre Pallante took the loss, and the wheels came off early. Five straight singles in the second inning led to four runs, and by the time he gave up a fifth-inning RBI double, the damage was done. Ezequiel Tovar’s eighth-inning homer put the nail in the coffin.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ bats — once consistent at Coors Field, where they’d scored at least four runs in 11 straight games — completely vanished. No answers, no rally, no resistance.
Trade Deadline Pressure Mounts
Now, with the MLB trade deadline just a week away, the Cardinals are officially at a crossroads.
The upcoming four-game set against the Padres could define the season. A series win puts the Cardinals back in the race. A loss? The sell-off begins. And fans are already sensing which way it’s headed. Social media lit up with frustration — calling out leadership, front office decisions, and a lack of accountability. With the team now 5-10 in its last 15 games, Wednesday’s loss felt less like a stumble and more like a breaking point.
Is this team ready to rebound — or about to be restructured?
That answer might come in the next seven days.
