Brewers implode in Atlanta

Mark87

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It's an accepted practice throughout baseball on chilly nights for a pitcher to use a tacky mixture to get a better grip on the ball, no matter what the rule book says about banning foreign substances.

Hitters actually prefer that pitchers get a good grip via that method rather than having to dodge errant pitches.

"We've had hitters hit in the head asking for pitchers to get grips on the ball," Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

The Atlanta Braves' viewpoint of the matter was simple: Just don't be so blatant about it. Accordingly, when manager Fredi Gonzalez saw something glistening on Brewers reliever Will Smith's forearm, he asked umpires to investigate.

The upshot Thursday night was Smith being ejected and subject to suspension, and a seventh inning that went to heck for the Brewers as Atlanta scored seven times to snap a 1-1 tie and go on to a 10-1 victory at Turner Field.

Afterward, there were hard feelings on the Milwaukee side, though Smith said it was all a mistake for him to enter the game with the substance on his right forearm above his glove hand.

"It was chilly and kind of windy," Smith said. "I had sunscreen and rosin on my arm (while warming up in the bullpen). I just forgot to wipe it off before I went out and pitched. I had to kind of get ready in a hurry and just forgot."

For Gonzalez, it was too obvious to ignore. Thus, he went against an unwritten rule by complaining about something pitchers on all teams have done for years with the wink-wink blessings of opponents.

Gonzalez wasn't buying that Smith forgot to remove the substance, saying he went to it while facing his second hitter, Jace Peterson.

"It's pretty blatant, really," Gonzalez said. "It's glistening through the lights. You could see it in the dugout. I never went out there until he went to (the substance). The whole time he pitched to (Pedro) Ciriaco he never went to his wrist, but the first or second pitch to Peterson he went to it.

"That's when I went out to the home plate umpire to check. I'm sure they got a better look than I did, but it didn't take them very long to eject him. When you try to be that blatant, sometimes you've just got to do what you have to do."

Umpire crew chief Jim Joyce indeed immediately ejected Smith, who stomped off to the dugout in a fury, gesturing wildly back at Gonzalez in the Atlanta dugout.

"I'm a competitor," Smith said. "You want to stay in the game and pitch. It was a big situation. I was pissed I got thrown out. (Joyce) just took the ball and I was out.

"You want to be able to feel the ball; that's it. It's just grip. It's not going to spin more; you're not going to throw harder. You've got what you've got."

Suspensions almost always follow such ejections, so the Brewers were prepared to lose Smith for a period of time. That did not stop Counsell from being upset at the Braves for calling out his pitcher, however.

"Will was in the bullpen; it was a cold night," Counsell said. "He was warming up just to get a grip and made a mistake not to take it off coming into the game. There was no intent on his part but it happened.

"Pitchers are trying to get grips on the ball. We've had hitters on other teams ask for pitchers to get a grip on the ball. It's very common. It goes on, on the other side, I guarantee you.

"It happens everywhere in the league. It happens on (Gonzalez's) team, too. You've got to be discreet about it, I guess."

By the time the inning was done, one never would have known there had been a tense pitching duel between Brewers right-hander Matt Garza and Atlanta's Julio Teheran. At that point, each had surrendered only two hits and one run.

"I thought I had it under control," Garza said. "It was pretty frustrating, the way it turned out. The stuff that occurred afterward was just insane. I'll leave it at that."

Asked if there would be retaliation for the Braves calling out Smith, Counsell said, "We're going to try to beat them the next three days. That's the best retaliation."
 
Smith should have been more discreet and not have the stuff on his forearm for all the world to see. I hope Counsell keeps a sharp eye on the Braves pitchers the rest of this series.
 
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