'The pitching is right where it needs to be' Oli Marmol discusses Cardinals pitching performances after first month

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals 2024 pitching staff certainly has a different vibe than the 2023 pitching staff.

While overall, the Cardinals 2024 pitching staff hasn't been quite elite, posting a 4.08 ERA and 4.17 FIP heading into May 2024, it has been an improvement to the the 4.56 ERA and 4.22 FIP that team had in March/April 2023.

A big factor has been the Cardinals ability to generate more quality starts, generating already 10 quality starts, compared to only six at this point last year.

The ability to go deeper have helped limit the Cardinals from being stretched out thin like last season, with the club's bullpen posting numbers that are not just among the National League, but in the top 10 of Major League Baseball, ranking seventh in overall fWAR, sixth in Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), fifth in SIERA, and while pitching in the ninth-fewest innings so far this season.

The Cardinals pitching performances so far has pleased Oli Marmol, who appeared on Total Information A.M. Wednesday right before the Cardinals were getting ready for the series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

"You look at our season right up to this point, the pitching is right where it needs to be," said Marmol. "The rotation, you look at the bullpen, it's doing exactly what we need them to do."

Marmol also gave credit to the Cardinals defense, which has been far more seviceable than it was in 2023 and thinks the offense is starting to pick after solid performances over the last two weeks.

"Defensively we played good, clean baseball, making good decisions out there on the field," said Marmol. "The offense will be the key to this thing and it's going to come. It's starting to because if everything else stays the same, we're going to win a lot of ballgames."