Insisting that there is both a "style" and "standard" that his team will meet, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol detailed why he was critical of Tyler O'Neill's baserunning Tuesday night and said a "window" of competition had been opened.
"There is a standard, and it's here," Marmol said Wednesday morning in his office, holding his left hand up to show the height of the standard. "You meet it, you play. You don’t meet it, you don’t play."
O'Neill is not in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale.
The outfielder told reporters that it was a scheduled day off, one that had been discussed earlier in the week. Marmol was asked if his lineup decision was shaped by his opinion that O'Neill did not give complete "effort" on a pivotal play in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Atlanta, and the manager stated what was clear on the lineup card: "Dylan Carlson is in center field."
Marmol did define what he demands from players and the identity he wants from the team, and how he thought it flagged Tuesday night.
"There’s going to be a style of play that we are known for, and it’s going to involve effort," Marmol said. "And it’s going to involve being relentless. It’s going to involve being smart. And we’re going to keep guys to that, because that’s how you sustain being good for a long time. There are a lot of good players in that clubhouse and down below."
John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, expressed to Bally Sports Midwest a wish that these conversations had remained within the clubhouse, though he first echoed his manager's statement on the expectations.
"The one thing we always try to think about here with the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals is when we play, we play 100%," Mozeliak told the broadcast partner. "You go hard."Â
That does not mean they reached a shared view of the play or how it played out publicly.
"Giving it my best effort every time," O'Neill said Wednesday morning. "I got up through the minor leagues and into the big leagues by playing hard and playing scrappy — that's who I am. That's my character. And I don't ever want anyone to take that away from me. You know, these conversations definitely could have been had in-house and not gotten out on the loose like they have. Should have been handled a little differently, in my opinion, but who's to say."
In the seventh inning Tuesday night, the Cardinals trailed by three runs but their best chance to rally was brewing.
The inning was about to bend in their direction toward a trap that had been set with a pinch-hit decision. Marmol did not pinch-hit Nolan Gorman for Juan Yepez in order to shape the matchup for later in the inning. By using left-handed batter Brendan Donovan to pinch hit for Taylor Motter, that brought a left-handed pitcher into the game. The three-batter minimum would require lefty Dylan Lee to face the top of the Cardinals' order, where two switch-hitters who are strong against lefties lurked.
But the inning had to get past Donovan.
The Cardinals' usual leadoff hitter stung a liner to right field. That gave O'Neill a chance to score from second base and keep the rally in motion. The challenge was beating one of the best outfield arms in the game to the plate. Ronald Acuna Jr.'s throw beat O'Neill by several strides.
It appeared at the time that O'Neill slowed on his turn as if he may have been hesitant to push for home or paused by a soreness or injury.
Marmol said he went to review the play before talking to O'Neill and that his first question was whether the outfielder was hurt.
O'Neill told reporters and the manager that he was not.
That was what prompted Marmol to question the outfielder's effort privately and then acknowledge that he had done that when asked by media later.
"Coming around third base, I was focused on taking the tight turn," O'Neill told Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman and other reporters Wednesday morning. "And you know, it is what it is. I went back and ran the replay and ran the clock. I think it was second to home in about six and a half seconds. So I don't necessarily know what big league averages or whatever that's categorized as, but that's what I got myself at. I thought I gave it a pretty good effort. But, again, it was a heck of a throw and it's good baseball play on their part."
Marmol defended third base coach Ron "Pop" Warner's choice to send O'Neill around third and challenge Acuna's excellent arm.
Saying that third-base coach is "tougher than being a manager," Marmol said Warner's role is to read the play, react to the situation, the speed of the runner, and the ability of the outfielder. The coach has to expect full effort from the runner, not read that as well, Marmol said. O'Neill ranks as one of the swiftest runners in the majors.
Marmol said he believes O'Neill would have been safe.
"I don't think he gets thrown out," Marmol said.
This is not the first time that Marmol has made a playing time decision based on his view of a player's effort. This past June, Marmol removed outfielder Harrison Bader from the game and benched him after he did not run full speed to first after hitting a fly ball to center. Bader did not leave the ballpark that day before going into the manager's office to apologize.
“The way I handled that fly ball was not to the full effort of my capabilities,†Bader said. “Sometimes you have to get slapped on the wrist and understand there is a certain standard for this clubhouse and where we’re trying to go. And that’s not a World Series mentality the way I handled that fly ball.â€
Marmol declined to say whether O'Neill would return to the lineup when the Cardinals open their first road trip of the season Friday in Milwaukee.
What he did say is that a competition sparked in spring for playing time continues into the regular season, and there is nowhere on the roster where there are more players vying for at-bats and starts than the outfield. O'Neill sought the chance to win the starting job in center field, and Marmol was eager to give it. Despite limited play there for the Cardinals due to the World Baseball Classic, O'Neill left Florida as the starting center fielder and Marmol planned to give him several weeks to tighten his hold on the position.
That moved Carlson into a part-time role.
To start.
He starts there Wednesday.
"I love competition," Marmol said. "The last thing you want to do when you’re in competition is open up a window."
Check out the hits from the weekly Cardinals chat with Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol watches his players during a workout at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. The Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays both did their final workout of spring training at Busch Stadium on Wednesday before opening day of the regular season on Thursday. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com