Cardinals challenge: Mikolas’ good game doesn’t lead to victory, Marmol calls
Salekin
Editor & Writer
Cardinals Challenge: A Mountain to Climb
Marmol’s Surprising Decisions
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol’s decisions sometimes surprise everyone. This has happened repeatedly with Miles Mikolas. Mikolas bowls well but Marmol does not keep him on the field for long.
A Change in Strategy
But Marmal went against his nature in Friday’s match. With the Cardinals leading by two runs, Mikolas also bowled brilliantly through the first five innings. Yet Marmal left him on the field in the sixth innings as well. And that’s tomorrow for the Cardinals!
Mikolas’ Great Start, But…
Mikolas dismissed seven men in just five innings, five of which were leg-before wickets. But in the sixth inning, the Dodgers batsmen seemed to understand him. The Dodgers scored five runs in the sixth inning on Mookie Betts’ home run and two infield hits to turn the game around. In the end, the Dodgers won with a margin of 7-6.
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The Statistics Tell a Story
The reason why the Cardinals don’t want to keep Mikolas on the field much longer is evident in these statistics. Mikolas has a .251 bowling average and a .382 slugging average against batsmen coming up the batting order for the first time. But against batsmen entering the batting order for the third time, these figures are .287 and .735!
Mikolas Admits His Weakness
Mikolas himself admitted this. “Obviously, the more times they see you bowl in a match, the more they see you bowling, the better they will be. I know the statistics show that almost every bowler doesn’t do as well the third time they face the batting order,” he said.
Tough Times for the Cardinals
The loss snapped the Cardinals’ five-game losing streak. This is their 10th loss in the last 14 matches. Their current deficit of 10 games behind the NL Central leaders marks their furthest distance from the top spot this season.
Reliever Kittredge Regrets
Andrew Kittredge is tied for first in MLB with the most catches this season. But in Friday’s game after Mikolas, he hit a three-run home run off the Dodgers’ Kevin Kiermaier. It was a big reason behind the turn of the match.
Kittredge’s Thoughts
“Our job is the same all year,” Kittredge said. “We look at the point table now, we know how far behind we are. But our job from the bullpen side is the same. We just try to be as consistent as possible.”
The Mountain of Challenge, the Call of Marmol
The Cardinals now face a tough challenge. Their opponents in the next 22 matches will be teams with winning records. After the Dodgers, they will face strong teams like the Brewers, Twins, Padres, Yankees, Brewers and Mariners.
Marmol’s Call to Action
Marmol said before the match, “You have to face this challenge or you’re done. There’s no middle ground. It’s very simple – you’re playing against strong teams, you either go on the field and do what you have to do, or you go home early.”
Great Start for Mikolas
Great start for Mikolas, but…
Mikolas kept the Dodgers batsmen under pressure from the start. He dismissed Shohei Ohtani in the first innings and sent Mookie Betts back leg before wicket. In addition, he dismissed Will Smith LBW during the second innings and then got Freddie Freeman out in the third. At the end of the fifth innings, he dismissed 11 consecutive batsmen.
Mikolas’ Limitations Exposed
At that time Mikolas had scored 84 balls. This season, batters against him hit .344 on balls 51-75, but only .239 on balls 76-100. That statistic alone explains why the Cardinals don’t want to keep him on the field much longer. He started the sixth inning on Friday, and that was tomorrow for the team.
Confidence in Kittredge, Confidence in Mikolas
“I’m never going to say I don’t have any more stamina,” Mikolas said. “But if you’re asking me to bring [Kittredge] in, I’d say sure, because our bullpen has played great all year. I’d give that guy a 10 in that situation.” I’ll trust you 10 times out of this.”
Must Move Forward, or the End
Now is the time for the Cardinals to move on. They have to fight to win every match now. Despite this series of losses, they cannot lose hope. To quote Marmol, “You must rise to this challenge, or you are finished.”
Team Play is the Key Now
Cardinals need team play now. Every player has to give his best now. Victory will not come depending on just one or two. Batting, bowling, fielding – they need to improve in all areas.
Fan Support
Now is the time for Cardinals fans to stand by their team. Their encouragement and support can only carry the team forward in these difficult times.
Last Word
The Cardinals now face a mountain of challenges. But if they can fight together, anything is possible. Hopefully, they will get through this tough time and get back to winning ways.
Keep an Eye on the Statistics
Keep an eye on the Cardinals’ next games to see how they handle the challenge.
Follow Myles Mikolas’ performance to see how he improves.
It remains to be seen whether Andrew Kittredge can return to his previous form.
A potential return to the Cardinals
Follow Myles Mikolas’ performance to see how he improves.
It remains to be seen whether Andrew Kittredge can return to his previous form.
A potential return to the Cardinals
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