Giants benefit from non-interference call to upend Dodgers
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A battle that started with Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner on the mound was ultimately decided in the ninth inning following a non-interference call involving San Francisco Giants third-base coach Roberto Kelly.
With the game tied, runners on first and second and one out, Brandon Belt lined a single to left that for a moment seemed to be leading to a game-deciding play at home plate. That’s because, for a moment Kelly was waving home pinch-runner Gregor Blanco with all his might, but then as Blanco neared third base he changed his mind and put up the stop sign while positioning himself close to the bag.
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Close enough, in fact, that Blanco actually bumped into Kelly as he slowed down rounding the bag. This prompted an argument from Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly, who was looking for a violation of Rule 7.09 (g), which states the following.
In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.
The key, of course, is that it’s up to the discretion of the umpires. In this case, third base umpire Fieldin Culbreth ruled there was no intent to physically assist the runner. That infers Blanco was already coming to a stop, and the contact was incidental in nature. Had interference been called, the Giants would have lost their lead runner and the inning would have proceeded with two outs. As it was, Joe Panik following immediately with a sacrifice fly that wrapped up a Giants 3-2 victory.
The non-call was obviously the talk in both clubhouses after the game, and based on comments from Mattingly it may not be the last we hear of this play.
“(Kelly) blocked him,” Mattingly said. “The third base coach is not allowed to block the runner from continuing in. It’s obviously interference. They missed the call, basically. I don’t know who’s supposed to be watching but they weren’t watching.”
Stay tuned, folks. .
PIRATES HOLD OFF RESILIENT CUBS
These aren’t your father’s Cubs, and they aren’t his father’s Cubs either. OK, that might be a slight stretch, but it’s been a long time since Cubs fans could honestly feel like they’re never truly out of a game, as opposed to always in position to give one away. Their core of young hitters are already making that much of a difference, but despite their best efforts on Wednesday, they dropped a 4-3 game to a Pirates team that has carried the same vibe since 2012.
The Pirates own young core was at the center of this victory. Gregory Polanco launched a solo home run to provide some offensive insurance. They also received a sacrifice fly from Jung Ho Kang, who seems to finally be settling in at the plate.
On the hill, Vance Worley went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just an unearned run. Tony Watson, who was an All-Star in 2014, went two innings for the save after Jared Hughes struggled to navigate the eighth inning.
As for the Cubs, they pounded out 10 hits and kept the pressure on in the latter innings. Joe Maddon went all out despite having a short bench, which for one inning led to Kris Bryant making his debut in center field. After pinch-running for Anthony Rizzo in the ninth, Bryant would have also made his debut at first base had the Cubs tied or taken the lead.
That’s the mindset right now in Chicago. Be aggressive now, ask questions later. To this point, it’s made them the team to watch on a nightly basis.
KOLTEN WONG’S BIG NIGHT SAVES CARDINALS
The St. Louis Cardinals got to Doug Fister early and often on Wednesday, scoring in each of the first three innings to grab an early five-run lead. Second baseman Kolten Wong had a big swing during that stretch, contributing a second-inning two-run home run. But it would be his defense, and later his eighth-inning RBI double that proved to be the defining moments in a Cardinals 7-5 victory.
After the Nationals scored five in the third off John Lackey to even the score, both offenses went quiet through the middle innings. Both starters settled into a pretty good rhythm, but Wong deserves credit as well after making a pair of remarkable back-handed plays up the middle, which he capped with accurate jump throws to first base.
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That video features the second and slightly fancier of Wong’s defensive gems.
A couple innings later, Wong went back to work offensively. After Jon Jay walked and Yadier Molina singled to start the rally, Wong smacked his go-ahead double off Blake Treinmen. The Cardinals added one insurance run in the ninth on a Matt Adams home run and rode Trevor Rosenthal’s right arm to the win.
SAMARDZIJA OUTDUELS KLUBER IN CHICAGO
After a pair of rough starts to begin his season, White Sox deputy ace Jeff Samardzija is getting back on track following a pair of workmanlike performances. On Wednesday, Samardzija backed up eight innings of one-run ball last Friday in Detroit by shutting out the Cleveland Indians for six innings, which helped the White Sox earn a 6-0 win and a series victory.
Samardzija wasn’t exactly dominant, allowing six hits and two walks. He only struck out three, but he was better than the American League’s defending Cy Young winner, Corey Kluber, who was touched up for six runs on 13 hits in his six innings.
Most of the damage was inflicted by the top four in Chicago’s lineup. Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera, Jose Abeu and Adam LaRoche to go 8 for 20 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Abreu knocked in three of those runs with a first-inning home run and a two-run double in the seventh.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
