Cubs Fume After Umpires Miss Obvious Balk in Loss to Diamondbacks
- 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.
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.
Chicago Sun-Times
Counsell echoed his player’s assessment of the blown call after the final out. It’s obvious to everybody on TV.
It’s obvious to anybody.
They missed it.
Chicago Sun-Times
Because balk non-calls are not reviewable under Major League Baseball rules, the play stood. First baseman Michael Busch subsequently drew a walk, and second baseman Nico Hoerner struck out against Rodriguez to end the scoring threat. Rodriguez limited the Cubs to just two hits across seven innings of work. The missed opportunity loomed large as the Diamondbacks immediately capitalized in the home half of the inning. Lefty starting pitcher Matthew Boyd surrendered a go-ahead home run to Jordan Lawlar, and Arizona added an insurance run in the eighth inning to secure the 2-0 victory. The defeat handed the Cubs a series loss and wrapped up a difficult six-game western road trip with a 2-4 record. Three of Chicago’s four losses on the trip came in walk-off fashion, though Wednesday’s defeat was decided by Rodriguez’s pitching dominance rather than a late-inning rally. Frustrations on the trip also included an earlier balk controversy on August 21 in Seattle, where Boyd was penalized on a pickoff move. Counsell asserted after that game that the umpire got fooled and made up a call, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Despite the offensive struggles and equipment-bashing frustration during the series—where Crow-Armstrong went hitless in the first two games before hitting a double on Wednesday—the star outfielder remains a key contributor in the National League MVP race. He holds a .276 batting average with 33 home runs and 83 RBI on the season. The Cubs maintain a 76-58 record, holding second place in the National League Central and retaining a strong position in the NL wild-card race. The Diamondbacks improved to 71-63 with the series sweep.