Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he was “very surprised” by his ejection from Saturday’s loss to Houston.
Manager Don Baylor was even more perplexed.
What were the magic words that Rothschild unleashed on plate umpire Jeff Nelson to get booted?
“All he said was, `Both sides,'” Baylor said.
Meaning, Rothschild wanted Nelson to be consistent from team to team and batter to batter.
“I know you’re not supposed to question balls and strikes, and that’s not what I was doing,” Rothschild said. “I just wanted a consistent approach to the game.”
Rothschild pointed to a first-inning pitch on the inside corner to Houston shortstop Jose Vizcaino that was called a strike.
Rothschild said Nelson altered his strike zone after Vizcaino protested the call.
“I don’t think umpires need to be perfect or right all the time,” Rothschild said. “You just want a consistent effort.”
The ejection came after the second inning, during which Mark Prior issued back-to-back walks to Geoff Blum and eighth-place hitter Brad Ausmus. The 3-2 pitch to Ausmus appeared to catch some of the plate.
“He probably thought his young pitcher was being squeezed,” Baylor said of Rothschild. “There was never a swear word from Larry. He didn’t walk out on the field and say it. He was on the bench.
“They tell us in the winter that umpires are not going to be the aggressors and charge [us], and I was just trying to keep Larry away from an umpire charging toward the dugout.”
For his part Prior said he wasn’t getting squeezed.
“I was erratic–I wasn’t making pitches,” he said. “These are professional umpires and they’re doing their job. I have no complaints.”
Feeling the draft: Suffice it to say that John Stockstill, the Cubs’ scouting director, has been working overtime in preparation for Tuesday’s draft.
The Cubs have nine picks in the first three rounds, including four picks among the top 38, thanks to compensation for the losses of free agents Rondell White, David Weathers and Todd Van Poppel.
“It has made it easier and tougher,” Stockstill said. “What’s good is that we can focus more on the top 150 players rather than the whole draft.”
With their system lacking catchers, the Cubs might go after either Brian McCann, of Duluth, Ga., or Chris Snyder, from the University of Houston.
Snyder, a former Mariners draft pick, is viewed by scouts as an excellent defender with decent potential to hit in the big leagues.
The Pirates, who have the top pick, reportedly are focusing on Ball State right-hander Bryan Bullington.
Getting closer: Kyle Farnsworth needed just seven pitches to complete a perfect inning Friday for Triple-A Iowa.
His fastball was clocked at 98 to 99 m.p.h. He’s slated to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday or Wednesday.
Moment to remember: Actor and Chicago native Chi McBride read Lou Gehrig’s “luckiest man on the face of the earth” farewell speech before Saturday’s game for Project ALS Day.
McBride, who stars on the TV show “Boston Public,” was participating in the baseball-wide project. Gehrig died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on June 2, 1941.
