The St. Louis Cardinals fell out of postseason contention a while ago, and they likely have just nine games to play before calling it a season. It’s not vital for them to have a closer functioning perfectly right now.
The Cardinals host the Washington Nationals for a three-game series starting Friday night, and O’Brien still sounds like the top late relief option for manager Oliver Marmol, even after he had another rough outing recently. “Nobody is going to feel sorry for him and everybody is going to go through something like this in their career at this level. “We love you. St. He’s using the rest of the season as a de facto rehab assignment. “Honestly, we were fortunate it was only a three-nothing game. It’s hard to win against a pitcher like Zack Wheeler doing that. Washington is scheduled to start right-hander Cade Cavalli in the series opener.
He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Wednesday, but did make contact on a fly ball at 96.1 mph. He has a 2.05 ERA in 11 second-half starts. The Nationals announced Friday that they agreed to a four-year extension plus a club option for 2031 with Cavalli. The deal is worth $47 million and would grow to $70 million if the option is picked up, according to published reports.
Because of tendinitis in his right wrist, louis also has National League Rookie of the Year candidate JJ Wetherholt back in the lineup after he missed just more than two weeks.
“It’s part of being a big-leaguer,” Marmol said. No matter: Marmol repeatedly has said he wants to stick with O’Brien in high- leverage situations. “My message has been super simple and clear,” Marmol said. “Thirteen walks,” manager Blake Butera said.
