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Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol discusses the production from the middle of the lineup, Riley O’Brien’s bounce back and how Jordan Walker has recovered from a recent slump.
ST. LOUIS – On the same night that MLB unveiled its official ballots for the July 14 All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, Cardinals’ standout sluggers Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson stated their cases for the Midsummer Classic.
Walker snapped out of a 2 for 20 skid – one that included nine strikeouts – with three hits, two runs scored and a stolen base and Burleson added two hits and three RBI as the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 5-3 to avoid a sweep at Busch Stadium.
Walker, 24, has been one of the feel-good stories of the MLB season with the way he has shed his struggles from the first three seasons and has finally showed off his massive potential as a five-tool player. Walker exited Wednesday’s game – his sixth of the season with at least three hits – with a slash line of .291/.355/.537/.892 with 15 homers, 11 doubles, 44 RBI and eight stolen bases. His next homer will match his career high of 16, which was set in his rookie season of 2023.
However, Walker wanted nothing to do with potential All-Star talk on Wednesday night.
“I get real superstitious, so I don’t like thinking about stuff like that, especially right now (as voting is just beginning),” admitted Walker, whose sixth-inning single left the bat at 114.9 mph after he had two flares for hits earlier in the game. “It would be cool (to be an All-Star), for sure, but I’m going to just leave it at that.”
Burleson, a Silver Slugger award winner in 2025, could be putting himself in position for a first All-Star Game appearance with the way he has performed in the clutch this season. He is easily the Cardinals most productive hitter with runners in scoring position – something that started with his go-ahead homer on Opening Day and carried through Wednesday when he drove in Walker with two outs and an 0-2 count in the first inning and when he plated Walker and Nelson Velazquez in the third inning with a double.
“It’d be an honor, but we’re a little early in the process and still further away from that (July 14 MLB All-Star Game), so I’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Burleson, who hammered his 15th double and pushed his RBI total to 42 on Wednesday. “With (Brendan Donovan) being an All-Star last year and hearing about his experience and seeing what it was like, it would definitely be a cool moment.
“Like Iván (Herrera) said we’ve got a lot of guys in here who have been playing really good baseball and I think there are multiple guys who could be in those (All-Star) talks. That speaks to this clubhouse and what we’ve built here.”
Ivan Herrera confident Cards should have multiple All-Stars in July
A night after manager Oliver Marmol voiced his displeasure with his team’s plate approach in a 7-4 loss that was full of missed chances, the Cardinals hammered out 11 hits and got extra-base hits from Thomas Saggese, Jose Fermin, Velazquez and Burleson.
Marmol came away from Wednesday impressed with how Walker responded to a dip in production that might have sent him into a tailspin in years past. It is the second time this season that Walker has had to make adjustments to the changes made by opposing pitchers, and each time he’s offered an impressive response.
“I’m trying to figure out the best way to describe this, but (Walker) was mad about the lull instead of searching,” Marmol said of the 6-foot-6, 250-pound outfielder. “He was in that little lull for a week and you start searching and things speed up on you. But he was mad about it that he allowed himself to (slip) and his was mad about it – and that was a good sign. I like where he’s at physically and mentally.”
Andre Pallante (6-4) allowed just three hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out five while walking two.
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ST. LOUIS – On the same night that MLB unveiled its official ballots for the July 14 All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, Cardinals’ standout sluggers Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson stated their cases for the Midsummer Classic.
Walker snapped out of a 2 for 20 skid – one that included nine strikeouts – with three hits, two runs scored and a stolen base and Burleson added two hits and three RBI as the Cardinals defeated the Rangers 5-3 to avoid a sweep at Busch Stadium.
Walker, 24, has been one of the feel-good stories of the MLB season with the way he has shed his struggles from the first three seasons and has finally showed off his massive potential as a five-tool player. Walker exited Wednesday’s game – his sixth of the season with at least three hits – with a slash line of .291/.355/.537/.892 with 15 homers, 11 doubles, 44 RBI and eight stolen bases. His next homer will match his career high of 16, which was set in his rookie season of 2023.
However, Walker wanted nothing to do with potential All-Star talk on Wednesday night.
“I get real superstitious, so I don’t like thinking about stuff like that, especially right now (as voting is just beginning),” admitted Walker, whose sixth-inning single left the bat at 114.9 mph after he had two flares for hits earlier in the game. “It would be cool (to be an All-Star), for sure, but I’m going to just leave it at that.”
Burleson, a Silver Slugger award winner in 2025, could be putting himself in position for a first All-Star Game appearance with the way he has performed in the clutch this season. He is easily the Cardinals most productive hitter with runners in scoring position – something that started with his go-ahead homer on Opening Day and carried through Wednesday when he drove in Walker with two outs and an 0-2 count in the first inning and when he plated Walker and Nelson Velazquez in the third inning with a double.
“It’d be an honor, but we’re a little early in the process and still further away from that (July 14 MLB All-Star Game), so I’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Burleson, who hammered his 15th double and pushed his RBI total to 42 on Wednesday. “With (Brendan Donovan) being an All-Star last year and hearing about his experience and seeing what it was like, it would definitely be a cool moment.
“Like Iván (Herrera) said we’ve got a lot of guys in here who have been playing really good baseball and I think there are multiple guys who could be in those (All-Star) talks. That speaks to this clubhouse and what we’ve built here.”
Ivan Herrera confident Cards should have multiple All-Stars in July
Marmol pleased with Walker's response to slump
A night after manager Oliver Marmol voiced his displeasure with his team’s plate approach in a 7-4 loss that was full of missed chances, the Cardinals hammered out 11 hits and got extra-base hits from Thomas Saggese, Jose Fermin, Velazquez and Burleson.
Marmol came away from Wednesday impressed with how Walker responded to a dip in production that might have sent him into a tailspin in years past. It is the second time this season that Walker has had to make adjustments to the changes made by opposing pitchers, and each time he’s offered an impressive response.
“I’m trying to figure out the best way to describe this, but (Walker) was mad about the lull instead of searching,” Marmol said of the 6-foot-6, 250-pound outfielder. “He was in that little lull for a week and you start searching and things speed up on you. But he was mad about it that he allowed himself to (slip) and his was mad about it – and that was a good sign. I like where he’s at physically and mentally.”
Andre Pallante (6-4) allowed just three hits and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out five while walking two.
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Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
Continue reading...
