Marcell Ozuna was a late scratch from the lineup when he did not arrive at Busch Stadium by the mandatory report time and was not seen in the dugout until the game was three innings old. He had been sleeping at his Clayton apartment, he explained, until the team, alarmed by his absence, sent someone to check on him. Already groping for offense and oddly mystified by Kansas City’s pitchers this week, the Cardinals went into the series finale with a hitter they need to produce having been benched, by team rule.
Ozuna’s last-minute replacement, Tyler O’Neill, was part of the Cardinals’ lone rally in the second inning.