Momentum seemed ready to swing one way or the other as soon as Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan’s bat connected with the slider he drove into right field in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday night.
The play ended with Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. having uncorked a one-hop strike from right field to home plate in time to cut down Tyler O’Neill as he attempted to score from second base with two outs.
The Cardinals trailed by three runs at the time, and appeared poised to cut into that deficit and potentially mount a rally. At least, they did until Sean Murphy applied the tag to O’Neill just ahead of home plate.
The out call warranted no dispute. However, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol privately and publicly questioned the effort O’Neill gave on the play, describing it as "unacceptable." That assertion proved the subject of some dispute.
Marmol made his pointed comments after the Cardinals lost 4-1 to the Braves, which clinched a series loss for the Cardinals, in front of an announced crowd of 36,501 at Busch Stadium.
“We’ve got a lot of guys playing really hard,” Marmol said. “That’s not our style of play as far as the effort rounding the bag there. It’s unacceptable.”
O’Neill, who ranked among the 97th percentile of all major leaguers in sprint speed last season, did not appear to get up to full speed as he rounded third and got thrown out decidedly at the plate.
Marmol rejected the suggestion that base running might need to take on a more central focus for his club.
“That’s an effort thing,” Marmol said. “You don’t go out there and work on running hard.”
The second-year manager did not temper his comments when asked if he thought O’Neill may have been caught off guard by the decision by third base coach Ron “Pop” Warner to send him home on the play.
“Bottom line is that’s not his judgment,” Marmol said of O’Neill. “That’s why we have a coach standing over there. Your effort is 100% until you’re told not to.”
Marmol’s comments applied to the way O’Neill approached the play but didn’t speak to the decision to send O’Neill.
The out call at the plate stopped the rally before it could truly start.
The Cardinals offense sputtered against Braves rookie starter Dylan Dodd, a left-hander out of Southeast Missouri State University, who held them to one run in five innings in his major-league debut.
After Dodd turned it over to the bullpen, the Cardinals had more luck creating opportunities. They put two men on in the seventh against Braves reliever Joe Jimenez courtesy of singles by O’Neill and rookie Jordan Walker.
After Juan Yepez hit a fly ball to left field that Eddie Rosario made a sliding catch to haul in, Marmol called upon the left-handed hitting Donovan. Braves manager Brian Snitker countered by going to left-handed reliever Dylan Lee.
Donovan’s line drive into right field set in motion the events involving O’Neill.
“Two outs, I was going on contact,” O’Neill said. “I thought I got a good jump off the bat, tried to make a tight turn. Ronald has got a cannon of an arm out there and got me down unfortunately. It’s got to be better next time. I’ve got to try to get a better jump.”
Marmol “addressed” his view of the play and what he considered substandard effort with O’Neill.
“He was pretty blunt about it,” O’Neill said. “He didn’t think I gave the best effort. I’m out here every day grinding my (butt) off, giving it my all and trying to stay on the field for 160 games. Like I said, I’ve just got to get a better jump next time and get around the base a little quicker and be in there next time.”
Asked directly if he refuted Marmol’s claim about his effort, O’Neill replied, “Yeah. I’m trying to score that run, of course. I’m not out there to dog it at all. Those are pretty strong words from him.”
O’Neill, who has dealt with several injuries in recent seasons including multiple hamstring issues, remained steadfast that he gave full effort on the play.
This offseason, O’Neill made changes to his training routine in hopes of addressing the injury issues that limited his time on the field last season. He did a portion of that training in Ƶ, where he moved full-time this past year.
“I was just trying to take a tight turn,” O’Neill said. “I’ve been working a lot on different run form mechanics here in Ƶ. That puts me in a better position for longevity. Maybe there was a little too much thought process in the play for me rather than just a go get ’em, as I usually would. So it’s finding that happy medium and learning from the experience, for sure.”
O’Neill didn’t question the decision to wave him home on the play. He said he knew off the bat that it would likely be a close play, and he was “cutting” his steps in an effort to get there as soon as he could. He described Acuna’s play as a “perfect throw.”
While O’Neill pushed back against Marmol’s claim about his lack of effort while speaking with reporters, his interaction with Marmol apparently took on a much more one-sided slant.
“There wasn’t too much I would say in that conversation,” O’Neill said. “He was very adamant about making his points. It’s not in the best situation, being 0-2 in this series. I understand the frustration, and I’m trying to do everything I can to stay on the field here and give it my best effort. I’ve never been known to be a dogger out there in any caliber. For him to say that is very strong words.”
The Tyler O’Neill situation reminds us that it’s not just the “Cardinal Way,” but “Marmol’s Way.” That’s how you play the game around here.
Ƶ Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill (27) is tagged out at home plate by Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (12) during the seventh inning on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at Busch Stadium in Ƶ.