Chicago Cubs' Maddon again states his case
LOS ANGELES - Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Sunday he already had heard from Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer about the speech Maddon delivered after Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Maddon was ejected in the seventh inning by umpire Mike Winters but said it was nothing against the umpires. He again was voicing his displeasure over MLB's catcher-collision rule.
"I'm going to visit with Mr. Torre," Maddon said. "We texted, and I talked to him on the phone. We just have to sit down face to face regarding what I had said last night."
Maddon compared the collision rule to the repealed Cook County soda-pop tax, meaning each had bad effects.
The Cubs believed they had Dodgers runner Charlie Culberson out at home on a throw from left fielder Kyle Schwarber to catcher Willson Contreras.
On replay review, however, it was ruled Contreras blocked the plate before he had the ball. The rule was designed to protect catchers from collisions, but it has sown confusion among catchers and runners.
"The more I watch it, it was a tremendous baseball play on our part," Maddon said. "I could not be happier with the technique, and then you could also argue against the bad baserunning on their side. They got rewarded for a wide turn, whatever, we don't get rewarded for perfect footwork in left field and a great catch and tag at home plate.
"That's all I saw."
Fighting the bullpen blues:
It's no secret the Cubs' bullpen has been bad during the postseason. Cubs relievers entered Sunday's Game 2 of the National League championship series with an ERA of 7.08.
Carl Edwards Jr. was at 23.14, and Mike Montgomery was at 22.50.
"They have not been on top of their game, and they'll be the first two guys to tell you that," Joe Maddon said. "But we're not winning eight more games without them. It's just not going to happen.
"You've got to keep working at it, keep talking to them. Anything that they perceive to be flaws has to be worked on. These are our guys. They got us to this point in the year."
Edwards has remained outwardly calm.
"It is nothing that I have not been through before," he said on the field before Sunday's game. "Confidence is still high. We never know until I get out there, but no matter what, I'm still going to be the same guy."
One reliever having a ripple effect on the bullpen is left-hander Justin Wilson, thought to be a key acquisition from the Detroit Tigers in July. Wilson had a poor second half with the Cubs and has been left off the NLCS roster.
"Of course that was counted upon when got him," Maddon said of good performance. "Listen, the guy's got a great arm. That's not to say he's not going to get back to his original form. But for right now we just weren't seeing that. But we did anticipate more, there's no question."
A miraculous recovery?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said injured shortstop Corey Seager is feeling "normalish."
Seager is not on the Dodgers' NLCS roster because of a bad back. He cannot return to the roster for this series except for an injury to another player.
Joe Maddon was apprised of the situation by reporters and asked if he thought the Dodgers would try get Seager back this series.
"Did you expect anything different?" Maddon said. "We'll just see how it all plays out. We'll see how it all plays out."
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