COLUMN: Skip Schumaker brought the “Cardinal Way” to Miami

When the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins meet, it’s usually a battle between a team in playoff contention and a team wallowing at the bottom of the division.

That trend continued but the roles were reversed. This time, it was the Marlins who were among the best teams in the National League and the Cardinals that are stuck in the cellar.

The Marlins are in a position to reach the postseason as the top Wild Card team, allowing them to host their first playoff series since winning the World Series in 2003. By defeating the Cardinals 9-8 in walk-off fashion on Wednesday after winning in dominating fashion on Tuesday, the Marlins set a new franchise record with 51 wins before the All-Star Game.

The Marlins’ rise is a surprise to everyone in baseball except first-year manager Skip Schumaker, who arrived at the post after serving as the bench coach for the Cardinals last year.

“I think you have those expectations in spring training,” Schumaker said. “I know we did. We tried to say that from Day 1 that we play to win right away. It’s not developing, although you don’t stop developing at this level, the message has always been to try to win today. I think everyone has bought into that and is starting to believe it.”

Schumaker’s impact on the Marlins was immediately felt. The Marlins have been a franchise with a chronic attendance problem. The series opener with the Cardinals saw over 20,000 fans at the game, which is the most for a regular Monday game that usually sees a range of 5-7,000 fans.

“The fans definitely provide a lot of the energy,” Schumaker said. “You’re seeing 20,000+ out there and it gives us a boost. I know it gives me a boost, and I’m a coach.”

The best thing for a young manager is a sure thing. Schumaker has been fortunate to be able constantly to write up a lineup that has All-Stars Luis Arraez and Jorge Solar on top. Arraez came to Miami from Minnesota in a trade that involved their second-best pitcher and has since chased the divine .400 batting benchmark. Solar, with 22 home runs so far, is finally playing to what was expected of him after signing as a free agent last year.

“As a rookie manager, putting those two names at the top of the order is pretty easy to do,” Schumaker said.

Schumaker spent much of his playing career with the Cardinals, including winning the World Series in 2011. He told reporters on Monday, “Almost everything I know, I learned from the St. Louis Cardinals.” It’s ironic to see Schumaker bring the “Cardinal Way” to Miami while at the same time looking like the Cardinals have lost their way.

The Cardinals won their division last year and returned a similar roster, only to look beside themselves, wondering how they ended up in last place. The fans have already been calling for the firing of manager Oli Marmol without realizing that it may only lead to another assistant coach taking his place and staying there for another couple of seasons, only for the cycle to continue.