Cards hit break in contention while balancing development, winning

ST. LOUIS -- Back in 2014, when Oliver Marmol was working his way up the Cardinals’ coaching tree and managing a Minor League team to the New York-Penn League championship, he repeatedly was asked questions as to whether it was his job to develop players or win games.

His answer, in a word: “Both.”

That approach has been applicable to the 2025 season for the Cardinals, one in which Marmol was precariously expected to provide opportunities and patience to many of the young players among the club’s core, while also remaining competitive and attempting to make the playoffs.

At the All-Star break, the Cardinals and their fourth-year manager have masterfully balanced that tricky proposition by providing extended runways for many of the team’s raw and developing players, while also remaining in the hunt for one of the National League’s three Wild Card positions. Having players gain experience -- and doing so under the umbrella of expectations and a palpable demand for success -- is something that should pay dividends for the Cards for years to come, Marmol stressed.

“You play for the score -- it’s meaningful, and it’s a test every night of whether we did it well or not,” Marmol said of the expectations that the Cardinals still win while also using this season as grounds for development. “Our staff is completely locked in on making sure we keep it that way [with high expectations] because it’s better for the player. It’s better for the player to play where there’s pressure from an [evaluation] standpoint and an experience standpoint.

“I find, when you can do those two things together, that’s high-level development. If you can develop while winning, you are developing winning players. And that’s a good environment to do it in. I think we’ve done a good job of doing that to this point.”

The Cardinals hit the break with a 51-46 record, within shouting distance of a Wild Card spot. They closed the first half on Sunday with a 5-4 victory over the Braves at Busch Stadium that featured two rain delays that totaled 4 hours, 2 minutes.

The Cardinals point to the growth of such position players as first-time All-Star Brendan Donovan, blossoming slugger Iván Herrera, emerging middle-of-the-order bopper Alec Burleson and rebounding Nolan Gorman.

On the pitching side, starter Matthew Liberatore and relievers Kyle Leahy, Riley O’Brien, Matt Svanson and Gordon Graceffo have made noticeable strides for a pitching staff that has kept the Cardinals competitive throughout what many believed would be a rebuilding season.

Graceffo, who was recalled on Saturday and then struck out Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. with two on and two outs, said he has benefited greatly from learning on the fly while being around bullpen stars Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and JoJo Romero this season.

“Those guys have taught me how to approach the game in the bullpen every day, and it’s a little bit different coming into the game [in relief] because you never know who you are going to face,” said Graceffo, who is 3-0 and has struck out 21 hitters over 21 innings in 2025. “They’ve been a real big help with that stuff and also how to prepare myself in game with not doing too much and not doing too little. They’ve helped me be locked in mentally the whole time.”

Once 14-19, the Cardinals turned around their season with a nine-game winning streak from May 4-12. That ignited a 19-8 run in May. The Cardinals weathered a tough June, when they played 28 games in a 29-day stretch and surged a season-best nine games above .500 with a thumping of the Guardians on June 29.

The Cards’ bid for a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 took a hit recently with a 3-8 stretch. They went from one game up in the No. 3 Wild Card spot to 1 1/2 games back.

Marmol said the success that the Cardinals have had while blending their young talent with veterans Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Steven Matz, Miles Mikolas, Helsley and Maton is proof that the franchise is on the right track. Developing, while still managing to win games, will be highly beneficial in the future, Marmol predicted.

“Absolutely, more than ever, yes,” Marmol said, when asked if the success of the first half reaffirmed to him that the franchise is on the right path. “We knew there were going to be frustrations along the way, but we’ve done a good job of not paying attention to anything outside of our internal [goals]. If we stay disciplined to that, I think we’re truly building toward something that can be fun around here.”