Carlos Marmol has not pitched in the Cubs’ three games since he blew a three-run lead in the ninth against the Mets on Sunday, which resulted in a 4-3 loss to New York.

“I feel great,” Marmol said Thursday. “I’m waiting for the opportunity to pitch. We’ll see.”

This season, Dale Sveum has tried to get Marmol back in a game the day after he has a rough outing. Not this time.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in the bullpen,” Sveum said of the Cubs, who have been carrying eight relievers since Saturday when outfielder David DeJesus was put on the disabled list. “The other times, I did want to get him back on the mound. [Sunday’s game] to me, wasn’t like some of the other outings. He just got hit [on Sunday] more than imploding and throwing balls all over the place.”

Marmol, who has walked 21 and given up 25 hits over 26 2/3 innings, has been working on the side with bullpen coach Lester Strode, who has been with the right-hander since he signed with the Cubs in 1999.

“I’ve been through this,” Marmol said of the tough outing. “I’m working out, talking to Lester. He knows me better than anybody here. We’ll see.”

In the seven games when Marmol has pitched with zero days rest, he’s posted a 1.35 ERA, and is 2-0. Those numbers change dramatically when he pitches on one-day rest. In those 11 games on one-day rest, Marmol is 0-4 with a 15.26 ERA.

“I love to pitch,” Marmol said. “I can’t make that decision, though. I have to wait for my opportunity.”

Said Sveum: “It’s not a priority [to get him back in a game] or anything.”

— Carrie Muskat

You won’t see Carlos Marmol closing for the Cubs any more. Manager Dale Sveum said Marmol, who blew a three-run lead in the ninth on Sunday against the Mets subbing for Kevin Gregg, will be back in his role as a late inning reliever.

“[Marmol] has pitched well in the seventh and eighth, and even pitched well in some tie games in the ninth and the 10th inning, too,” Sveum said Monday. “Obviously, he’s having difficulty with the last three outs and a save. We have our closer [in Gregg] when he has his rest. [Marmol] is back in the same role he was in.”

Sunday was Marmol’s first save opportunity since April 25, when he was successful against the Marlins. The right-hander began the season as the Cubs closer but lost that job after the first week of the season when he struggled against the Braves in the opening series. Gregg was not available on Sunday after pitching four straight days.

This is the last year of Marmol’s three-year contract with the Cubs, and he’s being paid $9.8 million. Releasing him is not an option, Sveum said.

“People don’t realize [closing] is not really his job any more,” Sveum said.

The Cubs manager knows his decision to stick with Marmol after Marlon Byrd’s leadoff homer in the ninth on Sunday wasn’t well received by fans.

“That’s people prerogative,” Sveum said. “I don’t really care what people think about me. That’s part of this job to be second-guessed. There’s nothing you can do about that. Players are put in positions to perform and if they don’t, the decision making will always be second-guessed. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. If I would’ve put somebody else in who has never closed a game before and they give it up, I’d be in the same boat [hearing criticism].”

Marmol was a successful closer for the Cubs in 2010 and 2011, totaling 38 and 34 saves, respectively. But in close and late situations this year, teams are batting .308 against the right-hander, and in other situations, they’re hitting .191.

“We know that those three outs are very, very difficult to get for some reason,” Sveum said.

Who will close for the Cubs when Gregg isn’t available? One option in the current series against the Cardinals is lefty James Russell.

“This is a team you could do it against because there’s no rhyme or reason to matchups or anything,” Sveum said. “They’re so good against both right-handers and left-handers that you go to maybe your most reliable guy. This is a time where you could use Russell because there’s no real matchups here.”

— Carrie Muskat

With Kevin Gregg unavailable Sunday after pitching four days in a row, Dale Sveum turned to Carlos Marmol in the ninth with a 3-0 lead against the Mets.

Sveum felt the Cubs’ 3-0 lead was enough cushion for Marmol, who entered in the ninth. But Marmol gave up a solo home run to Marlon Byrd, then walked Lucas Duda and served up a single to John Buck. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who was batting .103, then hit a three-run homer for the walkoff win.

“All the other innings, he’s done a pretty good job,” Sveum said. “He’s having trouble with those last three outs.”

Marmol said: “You blow the save and lose the game. It’s tough. I left the pitch up, and it was right down the middle.”

One thing to keep in mind, Marmol has not been horrible every time he’s pitched, but when he doesn’t have success, it usually is late in games, and dramatic. In the month of May, Marmol compiled a 3.48 ERA over 11 games, giving up four earned runs — and three of those came in one game, May 4 vs. the Reds — on eight hits and four walks over 10 1/3 innings. Prior to Sunday’s game, he had appeared in six games, including an outing June 1 against the Diamondbacks when he was charged with four runs in one-third of an inning. Since that outing, he appeared in five games, had given up two hits and one run while striking out three.

Since April 8, which was his first outing after having the closer job taken away, Marmol has appeared in 27 games, and has not given up a run in 25 of those outings. Eleven of the 13 earned runs off Marmol since April 8 have come in three appearances (May 4, June 1, Sunday).

Teams were hitting .229 against him going into Sunday’s game.

This season, Marmol has thrown 58 percent sliders, 42 percent fastballs. When he’s ahead in the count, he throws 72 percent sliders, and when he’s behind, he’ll throw 52 percent sliders. With two strikes, he throws his slider 87 percent of the time.

Another stat to consider: Batters are making contact on 47 percent of his fastballs, compared to 39 percent of his offspeed pitches.

For those who want the Cubs to trade Marmol, remember they need to find another team who feels the right-hander can help them. We’ll find out more about what Sveum and the Cubs do now with the right-hander later today in St. Louis.

— Carrie Muskat