Cardinals' Pham says he cut off fly ball due to Ozuna's ailing arm

In one of the more confusing plays from Saturday's slate of MLB action, St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Tommy Pham raced across the outfield to snag a fly ball away from left fielder Marcell Ozuna.

The ball had been heading directly for Ozuna, who had the clearest angle to make a throw to the plate. The runner on third, Asdrubal Cabrera, then tagged up and scored on Pham's errant toss.

Pham apparently made the call to intervene due to a right shoulder ailment that's limiting Ozuna's ability to throw effectively.

"It’s a tough ball because it’s way over there, but I thought my arm had a better chance than Ozuna's right now," Pham told The Athletic's Mark Saxon. "If his arm's healthy, I don't do that."

New York Mets third baseman Todd Frazier was credited with a sacrifice fly on the play, extending the lead to 5-1 in the process.

In addition to his throwing arm being impacted, Ozuna has struggled at the plate through the Cardinals' first two games, going 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in a pair of losses.