​Roundtable Sports’ John Denton recaps the St. Louis Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, a victory that pushed St. Louis back into a tie for the National League’s final Wild Card spot and added even more intrigue to the club’s plans ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.
The Cardinals remain one of the more fascinating teams to watch as the deadline approaches. With the front office still weighing whether to add talent for a postseason push or move veteran players for future assets, manager Oliver Marmol made it clear where he stands. Following the All-Star break, Marmol used Friday night’s game as another example of why he believes this group has earned the right to keep fighting for a playoff berth.
St. Louis’ 5-4 victory over the Diamondbacks was another tense, narrow win for a team that has made a habit of surviving close games. The Cardinals now have 17 one-run victories among their 51 wins, a sign of both resilience and competitiveness. Despite entering the season with modest outside expectations, this young Cardinals roster has continued to stay in the National League Wild Card race and prove it can hang around in meaningful games.
Marmol told Cardinals TV that the organization’s focus has been on helping players improve every day while also growing collectively as a team. He said that approach is what put the Cardinals in position to compete after the All-Star break, and he did not hide his desire to see this roster experience postseason baseball. Marmol emphasized that he wants this group to understand what the playoffs feel like and to be rewarded for the work it has put in throughout the season.
That message comes at a critical moment for the Cardinals. The MLB Trade Deadline often forces teams to declare their intentions, and St. Louis is in a difficult spot. Selling could help the organization stockpile prospects for the future, but buying or at least holding firm would signal belief in a roster that has exceeded expectations. Marmol’s comments made it clear that he wants the front office to give this team a chance to finish what it has started.
Marmol has repeatedly said this season that he is enjoying managing this Cardinals club more than any of the previous teams he has led. That is notable considering his 2022 team included franchise legends Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. That roster also featured Paul Goldschmidt during his National League MVP season and Nolan Arenado, who finished third in MVP voting while winning his 10th consecutive Gold Glove Award.
The 2022 Cardinals won the NL Central and reached the postseason, energized in part by Pujols’ memorable climb to 703 career home runs. However, that playoff run ended quickly when St. Louis lost two straight games at Busch Stadium to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series. Since then, the Cardinals have not returned to the postseason.
The franchise hit a low point in 2023 and has spent the past two seasons hovering around the edges of the Wild Card race before ultimately falling short. That recent history has made the current season even more important. St. Louis is trying to avoid extending a playoff drought that already feels uncomfortable for a franchise with such a proud tradition.
Since 1947, the Cardinals have missed the playoffs for at least three straight seasons only a handful of times, including their current drought. In previous eras, the organization responded in a major way, reaching the National League Championship Series in 2019, 2000 and 1996, and winning the World Series in 1982 and 1964. While those past turnarounds do not guarantee anything for the current roster, they are part of the standard that continues to shape expectations in St. Louis.
Friday’s win over Arizona kept the Cardinals firmly in the NL Wild Card conversation and strengthened Marmol’s case that this team deserves support. Whether that means adding pitching, improving the bench, upgrading the bullpen or simply refusing to sell off key contributors, the Cardinals’ next moves could define the rest of their season.
For now, St. Louis has momentum, belief and a manager openly pushing for a playoff chase. The Cardinals’ 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks was more than just another regular-season victory. It was a reminder that this team is still alive in the postseason race and that the decisions made before the MLB Trade Deadline could determine whether the Cardinals finally return to October baseball.