Cardinals' Tyler O'Neill defends effort, but Oliver Marmol reiterates criticism

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Tyler O'Neill, who was not in the lineup one day after manager Oliver Marmol criticized his baserunning effort, defended his track record as a «scrappy» player and said he wished the matter had been handled internally.

O'Neill was thrown out by Ronald Acuna Jr. at the plate with two outs and the Cardinals trailing the Braves 4-1 in the seventh inning Tuesday night. St. Louis lost the game by the same score.

Marmol took issue with O'Neill's turn around third as he attempted to score from second on a Brendan Donovan pinch-hit liner to right, saying his effort was «unacceptable.»

«I got up through the minor leagues and into the big leagues playing hard and playing scrappy and, you know, that's who I am,» O'Neill said Wednesday. «That's my character.… 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 you know, who's to say?»

O'Neill, who started four of the Cardinals' first five games of the season, was not in the lineup for Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the Braves.

Marmol declined to specify whether starting Dylan Carlson in center field instead of O'Neill was tied directly to Tuesday's play, but the Cardinals' second-year manager doubled down on his criticism before Wednesday's game.

«There's going to be a style of play that we are known for,» Marmol said. «And it's going to involve effort, and it's gonna involve being relentless. It's gonna involve being smart, and we're going to keep guys to that, because that's how you sustain being good for a long time.»

Marmol also said there were good players «in the clubhouse and down below, and I love competition.»

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