Fireworks erupt, but Cubs hitters keep heads, knock off Cards

Anybody who expected John Lackey to react any differently to Friday's proceedings at Wrigley Field doesn't know Lackey.

A measured response to a bad call by an umpire? Not happening with this 38-year-old warhorse who's about as set in his ways as anybody.

The Cubs' starting pitcher got himself ejected from the afternoon's 8-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in a game that will go down as one more colorful chapter in this rivalry of red and blue.

Catcher Willson Contreras rode off into the sunset with Lackey as both batterymates were tossed by home-plate umpire Jordan Baker.

As Lackey put it: “He missed the pitch. It's big spot in a huge game, and he missed the pitch.”

The pitch in question was a 2-2 breaking ball with two outs in the fifth inning to Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez. The ball appeared to catch the plate but was called a ball by Baker. Lackey didn't like the call then, and when Martinez singled on the next pitch to drive in a run and put the Cardinals ahead 2-1, Lackey liked it even less.

This one had trouble written all over it as Lackey began yelling at Baker while sprinting to back up home plate.

Baker tossed Lackey even as the play was in motion. Contreras was the next to go, and he slammed his mask down after getting tossed.

Lackey said Martinez knew he was out because “he almost walked to the grass” on his way back to the dugout.

“He (Baker) threw me out of the game kind of halfheartedly because he knew he messed up,” Lackey said.

Lackey added one kicker: “It's a pretty big spot right there. He cost me a big-league win. Those don't grow on trees.”

While Lackey was unapologetic, Contreras said he felt bad about the mask-toss and it hitting the umpire as it bounced up off the ground.

“Those things happen,” Contreras said. “First of all, I didn't mean to hit the umpire, to hit the umpire, to hit anybody. I'm not that kind of guy. I think he made a good pitch even though I got crossed up (expecting a fastball). I think I did a pretty good job of holding the baseball. I just got fired up. I couldn't control my emotions. If I have to apologize, I apologize to umpire because I didn't mean to hit him and I didn't mean to hurt anybody.”

There was some disagreement among the parties about whether there was a cross-up between Lackey and Contreras. Manager Joe Maddon and Contreras said yes. Lackey said no.

Either way, Maddon has known Lackey for a long time, dating to their days with the Angels in the early 2000s. Even though the ejections might have ended up hurting the Cubs, Maddon said it was unreasonable to think that the ornery Lackey would have a more measured response.

“Impossible,” Maddon said. “I can say I'd like to see that, but why would I even think that? That's the definition of insanity. Why would I think he's going to change in that particular moment? So God bless him. It's who Johnny is. I never want him to change. He's not going to change, so why even expect that?

“So it happened. We reacted. And the rest of the group came together.”

The upshot of that is that the Cubs (81-66) moved to 4 games ahead of the Cardinals (77-70) in the National League Central with a victory in the first game of this key three-game series.

They did so by scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the sixth, when they sent 11 men to the plate. Kris Bryant, who homered in the fourth inning, said the commotion with Lackey and Contreras may have helped the Cubs.

“The crowd got into it,” Bryant said. “Obviously, we're always into the game but anytime you see your teammates or bros go on out like that and get fired up, it's not a terrible thing. I think it only helped us.”

• Follow Bruce on Twitter@BruceMiles2112