Disputed interference call costs Thunder in loss to Erie
TRENTON » The Thunder thought they had escaped the sixth inning unscathed after pitcher Michael King made a heads up play to scoop up a ball that deflected off the bag and then first baseman Billy Fleming before the batter could reach safely.
While the players had all jogged off the field, the umpires were huddling.
Third base umpire and crew chief Jacob Metz determined Fleming made contact with Erie’s Josh Lester and therefore interfered with the runner attempting to reach base.
Instead of the inning being over, the Seawolves had a runner on first with two outs and after King threw a couple warm-up tosses, the next batter, Chad Seido launched an RBI double to the gap in right-center.
Two batters later A.J. Simcox knocked in two more runs with a double to left.
It all amounted to a 4-0 defeat and utterly forgettable three-game sweep for the Thunder at Arm & Hammer Park on Sunday afternoon.
“It seemed like the thirdbase umpire saw something because he started sprinting over,” Fleming said. “I don’t know what they talked about, but it was one of those weird plays that they called us back to the field and that hurt us, obviously.”
Manager Jay Bell said there was a similar play earlier this season when the Thunder had a runner called out for interference on a fielder in the process of making a play on the ball, but his understanding was because King had picked up the ball, Fleming was no longer in the process of making the play and therefore interfering with the runner.
“They looked like they were about to change the call,” Fleming said. “I don’t know what was said in their huddle, but obviously, that changed the game and unfortunately for us that’s just how baseball goes sometimes.”
It ruined an otherwise solid outing for King, who allowed four runs (one earned) and scattered eight hits over seven innings. The right-hander finished with five strikeouts.
“Would I say it bothered him? As a professional, no it would now bother him,” Bell said. “I think the outcome is bothersome. It’s like with the instant replay, they bang him out and guys go off the field, but they don’t quite go all the way, they’re waiting around. In today’s game, that stuff should not bother them anymore.”
What bothered the manager more was the team’s inability to knock out Erie starter Kyle Funkhouser on two different occasions.
The Thunder (39-29) put runners on second and third with one out in the second, but Funkhouser came back to punch out Jhalan Jackson and Jorge Saez to end the threat.
In the fourth, they loaded the bases with no outs, but Mandy Alvarez waved wildly at a pitch out of the zone and Jackson hit into an inning-ending 6-4-3 doubleplay.
“We had that starter on the ropes a couple different times, and we failed to come through,” Bell said. “In those situations, the pitcher is in trouble, not the hitter. We had second and third with one out and bases loaded with none. Those are the situations where you have to go up their with the mindset of I got you and you’re not going to get me out, but we swung out of the zone and failed to come through in those situations.” The SeaWolves (31-36) swept the Thunder for the first time since May 13-15, 2014.
“We’ll bounce back,” Fleming said. “We’ll forget about it and come back strong after the offday.”
The Thunder begin a three-game home set against Tim Tebow and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Tuesday.
NOTE » First baseman Chris Gittens left the game with tightness in his quad after legging out a double in the fourth inning. Rey Navarro replaced Gittens as a pinch runner and remained in the game to play second, while Fleming shifted from second to first.