Cardinals Reliever Spikes Ball In Frustration After Being Pulled In Ninth Inning

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera was not pleased with being removed from the Cardinals' 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds Friday night.

With two outs in the ninth inning, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol came out of the dugout to get Cabrera, who had allowed two straight hits to start off the frame. 

As Marmol arrived at the mound, Cabrera spiked the ball into the ground in frustration before catching the ball off the bounce. Marmol grabbed his pitcher as he walked off the mound and had a few things to say. 

“End of the day, he’s a little frustrated with the way the last couple of days have gone,” Marmol said after the game. “At the same time, your ego can’t get in the way of being a professional. I’ve known him for a long time. He’ll be just fine.”

According to The San Diego Tribune, veteran Albert Pujols spoke to Cabrera after the reliever reached the dugout, tapping him twice on the hat before walking away. 

“The kids a competitor. He wants to be in there,” Marmol continued. “You can’t fault him for that. I want him to have the mentality of wanting the ball there and not coming out. But there’s a way of going about it. We have a good, veteran group that will address it. And we’ll handle it internally. But it will be OK.”

Cabrera was not made available to the media after the game. Reliever Ryan Hensley came in for Cabrera and got credit for the save, his eighth of the season. 

The win moves the Cardinals to 49-44 on the season, just two games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.