The St. Louis Cardinals reached the All-Star break still in the pursuit of earning a playoff berth. They are only one game behind the Miami Marlins, who hold the third NL Wild Card spot. As their plans to sweep the Atlanta Braves were foiled on Sunday, manager Oli Marmol failed to keep his temper at bay. The development of events made for heated late-inning scenes during the Cardinals’ 4-3 loss.

The Cardinals and the Braves arrived at the ninth inning with the score knotted at 3. JoJo Romero had already retired two Braves hitters by the time Michael Harris II came to the batter’s box. The dispute began over a sinker Romero threw on a 0-2 count, which seemingly grazed Harris on his forearm.

Unhappy with the HBP ruling, Marmol challenged, but the on-field call was upheld, allowing Harris to walk to first. At that point, Marmol’s frustration boiled over as he rushed into the field to argue. His actions ultimately got him ejected from the game. Adding to the Cardinals’ plight, the Braves scored the winning run moments later. Jomboy Media posted the whole sequence of events on X.

“Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was ejected after his challenge on this ninth-inning hit-by-pitch call was unsuccessful. One batter later, the Braves would score the go-ahead run on a throwing error by the Cardinals,” wrote Jomboy Media.

Marmol’s frustration reportedly stemmed from Harris’ actions during the HBP.

Harris had started removing his gear before the home plate umpire, Adam Beck, had given his verdict. To the Cardinals manager, it was an attempt at influencing the umpire.

With the ball barely grazing Harris’ forearm, the ball does not appear to be hitting him from the front angle captured during the broadcast. In that case, if the call had been overturned to a strike, Harris would have been retired, ending the inning. The HBP essentially gave the Braves another life during the game, on which they cashed in effectively.

In the next at-bat, Mauricio Dubon hit a grounder to shortstop Masyn Winn. What should have been a routine throw for the Gold Glover sailed out of the reach of first baseman Alec Burleson. The unusual throwing error prompted the go-ahead, winning run for the Braves.

Marmol also ran into trouble with the umpires last month.

He was ejected in the eighth inning during a 9-6 win against the Minnesota Twins. He argued with the umpires over allowing a delayed ABS challenge to the Twins’ Austin Martin.

But the atmosphere in the Cardinals’ locker room is probably all hyped up as a 26-year-old is headed to Philadelphia for his first All-Star Game.

Ivan Herrera gets All-Star call-up

Ivan Herrera will join his teammates Jordan Walker and Riley O’Brien in Philadelphia for his first All-Star Game. The MLB selected Herrera as a replacement for the Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani this year.

Herrera has big shoes to fill if he gets a chance at the plate.

“It’s a dream,” said Herrera to the Associated Press. “Everybody thinks about going to an All-Star Game. You just can’t describe the feelings. I’m just excited for it and trying to take it all in right now.”

The catcher has been nurtured by the Cardinals’ system since he was 16. They signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Herrera made his debut with the Cardinals in 2022.

He had his breakout season last year, appearing in 107 games for the team. This season, Herrera is slashing .249/.381/.390 with 11 homers and 40 RBI in 95 games.

And amid their playoff pursuit, the St. Louis Cardinals would also look to have the best of Herrera’s bat in action for the team.