WASHINGTON — In the wake of the Cubs’ loss on Monday night, manager David Ross offered an unsolicited personal assessment in his chat with reporters. Ross felt he should have left starter Marcus Stroman in the game a bit longer.
“I probably took him out, honestly, probably one batter too soon,” Ross said after the 5-4 loss to the Nationals at Nats Park.
Fans often have that type of reaction when the call to the bullpen further complicates a spiraling inning. A manager rarely makes that admission, but this was Ross letting Stroman know loud and clear that there should have been more trust in the heat of the moment.
Behind the scenes, Ross apologized to Stroman, which carried weight for the veteran pitcher.
“Yeah, he came up to me after the game, for sure,” Stroman said. “He let me know that he wishes he would’ve left me in. That’s huge. Obviously, I want to [stay] in the moment. But yeah, the fact that he identified it and let me know right after the game, that just shows [who Ross is].
“I love Rossy. Rossy’s the man, and I have a lot of respect for that man.”
The situation in question arrived within a four-run fifth inning for the Nationals.
Up to that point, Stroman had spun four shutout innings with only three hits allowed. Things started to go awry in the fourth, when PitchCom malfunctioned for catcher Willson Contreras, forcing him and Stroman to revert to manual signs.
“It’s quick,” Stroman said of using PitchCom. “And you just kind of get into a rhythm. So sitting there, kind of staring in at signs just kind of throws off the rhythm a bit now. And it was dark. I couldn’t see his fingers.
“After that, I’m a big fan of PitchCom now. I’m hoping that stays in there from now on.”
Stroman and Contreras got through the fourth unscathed, but then things started to come unglued.
“It’s just one of those days where things kind of play out weirdly,” Stroman said.
First, Stroman induced a grounder off the bat of Lane Thomas, who reached safely on a throwing error by third baseman Zach McKinstry.
Later in the inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Stroman induced a chopper to McKinstry from Luke Voit. This time, McKinstry hesitated on the throw to second, costing the Cubs a shot at an inning-ending double play. One run scored on the play, cutting Chicago’s lead to 3-1.
“I thought he was throwing the ball really well,” Ross said of Stroman. “We didn’t play good defense there that last inning.”
Stroman was allowed to face one more batter, Yadiel Hernandez, who pulled a pitch into right field for an RBI single. It was at this juncture, with the Cubs holding on to a one-run lead, that Ross emerged from the visitors’ dugout at Nationals Park and headed to the mound.
When Ross arrived, Stroman handed the ball over and reliever Mark Leiter Jr. jogged in from the bullpen.
“I felt strong,” said Stroman, who threw 94 pitches in the outing. “In that situation, I did my biggest job, just to hand the ball off and to go in the dugout. In those situations, I’ve been blasted in the past for wanting to stay in. I’ve been blasted in the past for any situation.
“So, I just try to keep my mouth shut and do everything I can while I’m out there. And then when he comes to get me, and my job is done.”
Leiter was summoned to face veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, who ripped a pitch deep into the left-field corner for a go-ahead two-run double. It was Cruz again in the eighth, belting a game-deciding solo homer off Brandon Hughes.
The error by McKinstry resulted in all four runs charged to Stroman being of the unearned variety in his 4 2/3 innings. Ian Happ’s second homer of the night — a game-tying blast to the second deck in right-center in the fifth — took the right-hander off the hook for a loss.
Dating back to July 9, when he returned from the injured list, Stroman has turned in a 2.21 ERA across 36 2/3 innings in seven starts. Ross felt he should have given the pitcher a chance to add at least one more out to that total.
Stroman was appreciative of that postgame admission.
“I think he has a great feel for the game of baseball,” Stroman said. “Sometimes, [when he pulls a pitcher] is going to be taken out of his hands, as far as where the game’s going and not facing lineups three times through and all that.
“I think you have to go on the eye test and go on feel. And I think Rossy has a ton of feel.”
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