For the first time this season, the St. Louis Cardinals bats fell silent.
Stifled by Atlanta Braves rookie Dylan Dodd, St. Louis managed just one run as they dropped below the .500 mark and ultimately lost the series.
A critical play came in the bottom of the seventh when Brendan Donovan singled into right field.
Tyler O’Neill was waved home by third base coach Ron Warner, but was stopped in his tracks when Ronald Acuna Jr. nabbed him at the plate.
After the game, O’Neill and his manager Oli Marmol had a bit of a dispute over the former’s effort when trying to score.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided the details on Twitter.
Tyler O’Neill says manager Oliver Marmol challenged him on his effort after that pivotal play that ended with an out at home plate. Marmol called it “unacceptable.”
O’Neill refuted those “strong words” and he felt he gave full effort he could, made a mistake on turn. #stlcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) April 5, 2023
Clearly, there was a disagreement between Marmol and O’Neill over the slugger’s effort when trying to score.
Marmol called O’Neill out for his supposed lack of hustle and said that his mistake was “unacceptable.”
However, O’Neill told a completely different story and said that he was in fact giving his full effort.
What the young outfielder acknowledged was that he made a mistake on the turn when Warner waved him in.
Marmol is well respected as the Cardinals manager.
He also has rarely hesitated to speak his mind when he sees something he doesn’t like.
Clearly, he was not impressed by the young slugger’s effort when running towards home plate.
The Cardinals ultimately fell by a final of 4-1 as the Braves secured a series win at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis will look to avoid being swept on Wednesday.
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