Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras sat in the home dugout not far from a battered water cooler after most of the team had headed into the clubhouse following Tuesday night’s loss to the San Francisco Giants. The image of despairing Contreras served as the latest manifestation of a team caught in limbo.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol pulled up a seat alongside Contreras, the club’s biggest offseason addition who stepped into the shadow of a franchise icon and legend at the catcher position, and the two shared a hug before they left the dugout.
“At the end of the game, I had an opportunity to talk to him a little bit,” Marmol said.