Montero: Stolen bases are on Jake
WASHINGTON— Cubs catcher Miguel Montero blamed pitcher Jake Arrieta for allowing seven stolen bases in a 6- 1 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday night.
Montero, who is 0- for- 31 in throwing out base stealers this season, unloaded on Arrieta for his slow delivery not giving him a chance to throw out baserunners.
“It really sucked because the stolen bases go to me, and when you really look at it, the pitcher doesn’t give me any time,” Montero said. “So it’s just like, ‘ Yeah, OK, Miggy can’t throw nobody out,’ but my pitcher doesn’t hold anybody on. ...
“That’s the reason why they were running left and right today, because they know he was slow to the plate. Simple as that. It’s a shame that it’s my fault because I didn’t throw anybody out.”
The seven stolen bases— four by Trea Turner, two by Michael Taylor and one by Anthony Rendon— tied a Montreal Expos/ Nationals franchise record.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker called Arrieta “a guy you can run on” and said Montero “isn’t throwing like he was before,” and Turner noted Arrieta’s reputation for being “slower to the plate.”
Montero, who had an error on a throw to third, said it’s frustrating for a catcher to get the ball and see a runner almost to the base.
“It was a couple times I didn’t even try to throw because it was no time, it was no chance to throw nobody [ out] there, so why am I even going tomake a throw?” Montero said.
“It really hurt me. He hurt me. I feel like I can still throw, like I got a good arm, my arm feel great. I just try to be quicker, I try to be perfect and to make those two together, it’s hard to do.”
Montero said he and Arrieta talked about it at spring training and nothing changes.
“It’s frustrating because it seems like nobody really care about it,” Montero said.
Rizzo back at the top
Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn’t rule out having Anthony Rizzo finish out the rest of the season as his regular leadoff hitter.
After a one- day switch to Willson Contreras against problematic left- hander Gio Gonzalez, Maddon had Rizzo right back at the top of the lineup Tuesday against Nationals ace Max Scherzer.
Rizzo was hit by a pitch leading off the game and scored the game’s first run.
“We don’t have Lou Brock. We don’t have Rickey Henderson or Maury Wills,” Maddon said. “So we’re trying to get the best we can with what we have, which I’m very happy with. Willie did a nice job [ Monday]. Rizz has done a nice job.”
Rizzo has reached safely in eight of 12 times leading off games, including three homers. He entered Tuesday 14- for- 42 (. 333) since making the move on June 13, with four homers, six walks and a 1.114 OPS.
Contreras, the eighth leadoff man used this year, homered leading off Monday’s victory.
“I want to see [ Kyle Schwarber] get back on track, and when he comes back up [ from the minors], ‘ What does he look like and what does it mean?’ ’’ Maddon said. “And if somebody else among this group all of a sudden ascended to the point where you’d like to put them there and move Rizz back, [ then we’ll do that]. And say Rizz just all of a sudden doesn’t do well there and gets cold, get him out of there.
“I’m just trying to match our best up with what the other team’s doing and trying to get our best hitters in the first three or four slots on a nightly basis.”