RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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PHOENIX – For the second time in a week, the Cubs were left fuming over balk-related drama in the aftermath of a tough defeat.
“They flat out missed it,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s obvious to everybody on TV. It’s obvious to anybody. They missed it.”
What was obvious – to even the umpires themselves after they took a look at the video after the game – was that Diamondbacks lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was flustered by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong moving down the third-base line in the sixth inning of a scoreless game Wednesday.
Rodriguez moved his feet in the middle of his delivery, stepping off the rubber, and the Cubs believed they got a successful outcome of Crow-Armstrong’s antagonizing – and a run on the scoreboard.
Except the umpiring crew didn’t see it that way, not in the moment, at least. They gathered to discuss it, and there was no balk call.
Crow-Armstrong – whose double to get him on base that inning was his only hit in 12 at-bats in the series – was livid, reacting so emotionally toward the umpires that he needed to be held back by third-base coach Quintin Berry. Counsell came out to argue, somewhat demonstrably, as well. Neither was ejected.
But the Cubs didn’t get their run, with first baseman Michael Busch walking and second baseman Nico Hoerner striking out against Rodriguez – who held the Cubs to just two hits in seven innings – to end the inning.
Moments later, lefty starter Matthew Boyd surrendered a go-ahead home run, and the Cubs suffered a 2-0 loss that cost them the series and wrapped their road trip out West at 2-4.
“I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play,” Crow-Armstrong said after the game. “They’re out there every day, just like we are. Their one job is to get calls right, and if they get it wrong, they’re supposed to talk about it, figure it out and get it right. And they didn’t.
“When a guy is shoving it down your throat, you’ve got to find any way you can to make something happen, and that’s exactly what I was trying to do. I executed, and it would have been nice if the umpires did the same.
“You guys just saw my frustrations from the last three days come out, and I’m going to stick by it and say, ‘Rightfully so.’ … I think they find new ways to screw something up every day.”
There wasn’t much consolation to be had in the umpires admitting their mistake after the game.
“We just didn’t see it,” crew chief Alfonso Marquez told a pool reporter. “After looking at the video, it looked like [Rodriguez] stepped off.”
“It doesn’t make me feel any better that they admitted that they missed the call,” Crow-Armstrong said. “They had as much time as they wanted to talk about it on the field. They should have admitted that right after they got it wrong.”
Earlier on the road trip, Friday in Seattle, the Cubs were steaming over a balk they didn’t think should have been called against Boyd on a pickoff move, with Counsell saying that night, “It’s a situation where the umpire got fooled and made up a call because he got fooled.”
They lost that game on a walk-off hit in extra innings, and that became a theme during their six-game trip: Three of their four losses came in walk-off fashion.
Wednesday was the lone defeat they didn’t take in the last at-bat, with the bats stymied by Rodriguez. Crow-Armstrong struck out three times after going hitless Monday and Tuesday, taking his frustrations out on helmets, gloves, bats and other equipment before his on-field outburst over the non-call.
A rough series in Arizona doesn’t take away from his MVP-caliber season , and the Cubs have no interest in Crow-Armstrong toning down the emotion he’s made a trademark of his game.
“I’ll take the plane ride and my golf outing to evaluate,” Crow-Armstrong said, “but I’ll get over myself on the golf course tomorrow and we’ll keep it pushing.”
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