Maddon, Torre discuss slide rule

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he was going to meet with Major League Baseball executive Joe Torre before Game 2 Sunday of the National League ChampionshipSeries.

Maddon said Torre reached out to him after Maddon’s ejection Saturday night in Game 1 after Maddon voiced his displeasure with MLB’s obstruction rule, in which catcher Willson Contreras was found guilty of not leaving a clear path for Dodgers baserunner Charlie Culberson. The replay review overturned an out and gave the Dodgers an insurance run in the seventh inning.

“I really enjoy my conversations with [Torre],” said Maddon, who expects to be fined for his actions. “He’s so calm and gets both sides, so I respect what he has to say.”

Maddon emphasized he wasn’t holding the umpires accountable and merely was making a point about his displeasure with the rule.

“The only thing I’ll say is 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 you can also argue about the bad base running on their side.

“They got rewarded for a wide turn, and we don’t get rewarded for a perfect footwork in left field and a great catch and tag at home plate. That’s what I saw.”

Yankees

Astros pitching has 27 strikeouts against the Yankees in the first two games of the ALCS. “Part of it is the guys they’re going against, I think they’ve made a lot of good pitches,” manager Joe Girardi Sunday. “Part of it, you can get a little off sometimes. We have struck out during the course of the season, too. I mean, that’s part of who we are right now. We walk, we’re patient, we hit home runs and we strike out. I’ve had years they said that we haven’t hit enough home runs, that we’ve hit too many home runs. It’s just part of who we are as a club. And we’re gonna strike out some, but I like the patience, I like the grittiness of our hitters, like how they grind out at-bats and, um, we’ll figure it out.”

Astros

It means the world to Charlie Morton to pitch in Yankee Stadium, next door to the old ballpark he used to visit as a kid growing up in New Jersey and Connecticut. His family loved the Yankees. He spoke Sunday about listening to WFAN, watching Roger Clemens throw a bullpen session, rooting for Andy Pettitte and David Cone, having Derek Jeter pose with his sister at a Bahama Breeze restaurant, “just being a good dude.” “I remember when I was little, really wanting a Don Mattingly rookie card,” the 33-year-old said. “And I never got it.” He realizes what Game 3 means to his family. “My dad grew up in Syosset, Long Island, and we grew up in Trumbull and Redding, Connecticut,” he said. “This was our team.” Now the Astros are his team and Morton has a chance to give Houston a 3-0 series lead Monday as the starter.

Elsewhere

Alex Cora, the Astros bench coach and a top managerial prospect, interviewed with Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski on a day off in the ALCS against the Yankees. Boston is shopping for a manager after dismissing John Farrell last week. With the Astros still alive in the postseason, the Red Sox requested and received permission to speak with Cora.