CINCINNATI — When manager Oliver Marmol and his staff workshopped myriad scenarios the Cardinals could encounter Sunday night against Atlanta, one was two runners on and two outs in the seventh inning, and leadoff hitter Dansby Swanson coming to the plate for at least his third, maybe fourth plate appearance.
In this hypothetical, they planned to go to closer Ryan Helsley for four outs and leave the ninth for Giovanny Gallegos. In reality, they did exactly that.
“I like the move. Didn’t work out. But I’d do it every time,” Marmol said Monday afternoon, a day after Helsley allowed a three-run homer in that moment but recovered to strike out the side and score the win.