Major League Baseball has fined Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong $5,000 for “comments made to a fan” at Sunday’s Cubs-White Sox game, according to industry sources.
Crow-Armstrong has the right to appeal, but that determination had not yet been made.
Crow-Armstrong responded to a female spectator who began to boo him and yell, “You suck” when he was just feet away after just missing a potential highlight reel catch. Crow-Armstrong responded with a profane response; he apologized for his choice of words before Monday’s game here.
“I’m just bummed out about the word choice and that a bunch of little kids probably find their way to social media and see that as well,’’ he said.
Doing triple time
Some context on the walk-off home run that reliever Ryan Rolison gave up against Edgar Quero in the 10th inning of the Cubs’ 9-8 loss to the Sox on Sunday:
Rolison, who appeared in all three games against the Sox, was pitching for the third straight day — the first time this season that manager Craig Counsell had used any reliever on three successive days. Rolison had pitched on back-to-back days only once previously this season after going back-to-back five times in 31 appearances for the Rockies last season, his first in the big leagues. He hadn’t pitched in three straight games at any time in his professional career.
Counsell has turned to Rolison in more high-leverage situations, a new role for the left-hander, because of injuries that decimated the Cubs’ bullpen. Last season, Rolison never entered in a game in which the Rockies were ahead. They went 2-29 in games in which he pitched.
This season, the Cubs are 8-3 when Rolison has pitched. He has wins in three games — the first time on April 24 when the Cubs scored six runs in the last three innings for a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers, and then in back-to-back games against the Reds at Wrigley Field two weeks ago.
Rolison threw 10 pitches in a third of an inning in the Cubs’ 10-5 win Friday night, giving up a home run to Miguel Vargas. The next night, in an 8-3 Cubs loss, he threw a dozen pitches in a scoreless eighth. After that game, he said, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy asked him if he could go the next day if needed.
“So I stayed late and got a lot of recovery in, and told him I’d tell them how I felt at the throwing program, and I felt good enough to give them an inning or whatever they needed,” Rolison said. “I was ready to take the ball and help the team win.
“I don’t think the [three consecutive days] had any effect on my stuff. My velocity was good for the two pitches I threw, and I had conviction on the [home run] pitch. [Quero] put a good swing on it.”
Rolison got his chance to step up when left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar went down April 23 with a strained left hamstring after winning two games and saving two others while picking up for injured closer Daniel Palencia.
Thielbar, 39, who missed a total of 23 games, was activated Tuesday. To make room for him on the roster, the Cubs designated left-handed reliever Ty Blach for assignment.
‘Juuusssst a bit outside’
According to Umpire Scorecards, the 12 ball-strike calls the Cubs and Sox challenged via ABS on Sunday tied the season high for the majors. So did the nine overturned calls. Chris Segal was the plate umpire.
Beauty in the eye of the beholder
Score one for the Brewers’ social media team. After the Brewers’ 9-3 win over the Cubs on Monday night at Wrigley, they posted a photo of players taking their victory lap, accompanied by the caption: “This win is dedicated to the beautiful city of Green Bay.” A segment of the Wrigley crowd had aimed a disparaging chant at Green Bay — a repeat of the one that had consensus from both Cubs and Sox fans over the weekend at Rate Field.
