Cardinals Surprise with Marmol's Grit

0:00On April 17th, the St. Louis Cardinals are surprising folks with a 10 and 8 record through their first 18 games, even as they rebuild. They're heading into a big weekend series against the Houston Astros, playing way above what many expected under manager Oli Marmel. The offense is firing on most cylinders, sparked by hot starts from Jordan Walker and JJ Weatherhole, though the pitching staff has hit some bumps. Along the way, veteran Lance Lynn, who wrapped up his Cardinals career last year, is singing Marmel's praises. He loves the team's energy and grit, saying they're fully buying into Marmel's plan and never quitting, no matter the odds. Last season backs that up, they finished 83 and 79 with a negative run differential that should have landed them at 76, and 86. Marmel squeezed every drop out of a limited roster, keeping them over 500 for stretches during the rebuild. That momentum's carrying over now, but with growing pains ahead in this rebuild year, if Marmel gets the right pieces down the line, St. Louis could be primed to contend hard in a couple seasons.

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