The Chicago Cubs’ 7-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday came with more than just a clean box score. By the fifth inning, the game had turned heated, with Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly glaring toward Cubs third base coach Quintin Berry and Arizona’s dugout accusing Berry of reading pitches.
What followed was a stretch of back-and-forth verbal sparring between both dugouts, though it never escalated into a bench-clearing fight.
After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell brushed off the accusation without much hesitation.
“That’s gamesmanship that goes on every day in the league,” Counsell said.
Kelly, though, didn’t soften his stance.
“Stealing signs is as old as baseball. I think it’s a little bulls-t when it comes from a coach,” Kelly said
“If it’s a guy on second base and they see a grip in your glove or if the hitters can see something you’re doing with your glove, I think that’s fair game. I think guys have been doing that since the beginning of baseball.
I think it’s a little bush league when it comes from outside that. I think inside the lines is one thing, I think the guys that are standing outside the lines I think it’s a little bush league.”
The win still mattered plenty for Chicago, which is clinging to the Wild Card lead by two games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The three-game set continues Tuesday, with first pitch set for 6:40 PST/8:40 CST/9:40 EST.
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Merrill Kelly Just Put A Frustrating D-Backs Loss In A New Light
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For Arizona, the issue goes beyond one unpleasant loss. Kelly said sign stealing is part of baseball, but he made clear he does not view a coachs role the same way, which is the kind of complaint that tends to linger well after the final out. It left the Diamondbacks with another layer of irritation to sort through, even as the larger concern remains how to move past a game that felt costly on the field and messier afterward. [Read more 🡒]
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Torey Lovullo confirmed the update and also touched on Martes recent stretch away from the club, which included time on the restricted list for personal reasons before the knee issue added another layer to the absence. For Arizona, the timing matters because Martes return should help stabilize the lineup, even as the larger question remains how quickly he can get back to being the player the Diamondbacks have leaned on so heavily. [Read more 🡒]