No, St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol did not blame Paul Goldschmidt after the team’s latest loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Goldschmidt is hitting much like he has all season — inconsistently without much power.

Despite a rare stretch from Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 when he had a home run and 4 RBIs combined, Goldschmidt has struggled to be much of a run-producer for this St. Louis team. At 36 years old and in the final year of his contract, one can’t help but wonder if this is his final season with the Cardinals.

Cardinals swept by Reds, and Oli Marmol wasn’t thrilled

The Cards lost 9-2 to the Reds on Wednesday to fall a game under .500 on the season. They are quickly falling out of the NL Wild Card race, as well, as we near the midway point of August. The Cardinals are 4.5 games behind the Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. Following the loss, Marmol name-dropped Goldschmidt specifically.

“That was a frustrating inning because you’ve got some guys up. … You talk to [Goldschmidt] about what he’s trying to do compared to what the outcome was, and it’s the opposite,” Marmol said. “It’s frustrating for everybody. … That was the one [inning] that was really frustrating based off the leadoff double and [Donovan] is still standing there after three outs.”

Marmol is referring to the top of the fifth inning, as Brendan Donovan doubled to lead off the frame. However, the next three batters went down in order, including Goldschmidt. The series marked the first time the Reds have swept the Cardinals since 2021.

Despite the odd comments from Marmol, leaders in the St. Louis clubhouse like Alec Burleson remain convinced that this Cardinals team can make a run.

“I’m not worried about who’s in the other dugout, but it’s a matter of trusting in one another and playing the brand of baseball we can play,” Burleson said. “We haven’t gotten away from that, but some things haven’t gone our way, and as an offense, we’re scuffling. We’ve proven that we’re capable of coming out of something like this.”

It’s only August, but St. Louis is running out of time. The Wild Card race is getting away from them, ever so slightly, while four teams are in their way of a postseason spot.