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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Employees Author
CHICAGO — Cubs third-base coach Willie Harris took the blame for sending infielder Nick Madrigal residence with one out within the backside of the ninth inning within the crew’s 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
Madrigal was out by a large margin as catcher Tyler Stephenson tagged him after accepting the relay throw from shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
“I took an opportunity on making an attempt to attain proper there,” Harris stated. “It did not work out for us, sadly for me, and for the crew.”
Madrigal was on first base, representing the tying run, when Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki hit a ball towards the left-field line that fell in entrance of Reds outfielder Jacob Hurtubise. Hurtubise shortly threw the ball in to De La Cruz, who turned and fired a 93.3 mph strike to Stephenson as Madrigal got here sliding residence. The play on the plate wasn’t even shut.
Moments later, Cody Bellinger flied out to finish the sport.
“All of us study from our errors,” Harris stated. “Transferring ahead, I will be higher than that. I feel I have been doing a reasonably good job. Right this moment was only a dangerous ship. Right this moment is on me. And hopefully the blokes will decide me up tomorrow.”
Madrigal added: “My job is to place my head down and provides it my greatest effort. He made an ideal throw. This time it did not work. We’re not going to get down about it.”
The throw from De La Cruz was his fourth quickest of the season and eleventh at 90 mph or extra, in line with Statcast. That ranks third amongst infielders behind Pittsburgh‘s Oneil Cruz and St. Louis‘ Masyn Winn.
“Transferring ahead, I will be much less aggressive with one out, realizing the state of affairs just a little bit higher,” Harris continued.
In the meantime, the out at residence was the Cubs’ twenty seventh on the basepaths (excluding stolen base makes an attempt), probably the most in baseball. That features one other one within the fourth inning Friday when Dansby Swanson received caught off third base on an infield single.
“That is my fault as effectively, I suppose,” Harris stated.
The loss dropped the Cubs to a season-worst-tying two video games below .500, final achieved after their first two video games of 2024.
Chicago completed the month 10-18, simply barely higher than Cincinnati’s 9-18 file in Might. Each groups are trying up on the Milwaukee Brewers within the NL Central, but it surely’s the Cubs who will lament Friday’s recreation after the questionable, ninth-inning ship.
“Willie has been incredible and his aggressiveness has received us loads of runs this yr,” Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell stated. “It did not work this time.”
