Cardinals: Tyler O’Neill’s week gets even worse, but it’s not Oli Marmol’s fault

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Ji-hwan Bae robbed Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill of a possible extra-base hit with a highlight-reel catch.

Ji-hwan Bae has become a cult hero in Pittsburgh. Bae does a little bit of everything. He’s a great defender in the outfield, has some power and is a demon on the basepaths. Basically, Bae cannot be contained early on his Pirates career.

While riding this high, Bae got the best of his adversary, Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill.

That XBH would’ve driven it at least two runs, and O’Neill would’ve been standing at third with a triple. Instead, Bae made an incredible catch, ended the inning and stayed in the game. This guy is Burgh tough.

Cardinals: Tyler O’Neill’s tough week gets a little worse

It’s tough to blame O’Neill for the insane grab Bae made against him. Sometimes, all you can do is tip your cap.

But O’Neill has been in the news for his so-called lack of hustle, which was brought to light by manager Oli Marmol. The Cards manager benched Marmol against the Atlanta Braves after he was thrown out at home by Ronald Acuña. Many baserunners have suffered that fate against Acuña, but O’Neill did appear to let up while rounding third.

O’Neill likely isn’t going anywhere, as FanSided’s Miranda Remaklus suggested in her recent column:

"“The Cardinals need O’Neill’s presence and stability with so much in flux in the outfield.The Cardinals’ most significant need is starting pitching. O’Neill would be a nice piece to the package that could net the Cardinals a top-tier starting pitcher. But a move like this could also create more problems. While the team may get their pitcher, they would be down a top defender with a big bat.”"

St. Louis is lacking outfield depth at the moment, and O’Neill’s inclusion in the lineup is essential. He’s backed up his talk, despite some frustrations about how Marmol called him out to the media.