Cardinals’ Tyler O’Neill not in lineup day after ‘unacceptable’ baserunning effort

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was unhappy with Tyler O’Neill’s baserunning effort Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, resulting in the center fielder being left out of the starting lineup for the series finale on Wednesday. 

Tuesday night, O’Neill was thrown out at home plate by Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the seventh inning, causing Marmol to take issue with O’Neill’s effort rounding third base. 

“That’s not our style of play as far as the effort, rounding the bag there,” Marmol said Tuesday. “It’s unacceptable.”

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O’Neill was not in the lineup for the series finale on Wednesday, a 5-0 win for Atlanta to sweep the three-game series.

“There is a standard, and it’s here,” Marmol said Wednesday morning in his office as he raised his hand, according to the St. Louis Dispatch. “You meet it, you play. You don’t meet it, you don’t play.” 

O’Neill told reporters it was his scheduled day off. 

“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.”

O’Neill, who disagreed on Tuesday with Marmol’s take that his effort was lacking, told reporters he wished the situation would have been handled differently. 

“I got up through the minor leagues and into the big leagues playing hard and playing scrappy,” O’Neill told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “That’s who I am and that’s my character. I don’t ever want anyone to take that away from me. 

“These conversations definitely could have been had in-house and not gotten out on the loose like they have. Should’ve been handled a little differently, in my opinion. But who’s to say.”

O’Neill came in for a pinch-hit at-bat in the eighth inning, flying out to center field. 

The loss dropped the Cardinals to 2-4 on the season.