NEWSLETTER
Today’s game did not exactly get off to a great start with the Cubs committing three errors in the first inning, and starter Carlos Silva giving up six runs in what was to be his only inning of work.
And that was the good news.
Shortly after the half inning ended, Silva was reportedly involved in some kind of fight in the dugout (obvious joke about “Carlos” and crazy/fight in dugout), which was sufficiently serious that other players and coaches had to step in to break things up. The others involved in the fight are yet unknown, but you can be sure this will be the subject of a great deal of discussion in the coming days. Silva was walked to the clubhouse by strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss, and the Cubs have said he is not yet “in the right frame of mind” to talk to the media. Swoot.
Silva, in the last year of an absurd contract (of which the Cubs are only paying a portion), is fighting for a rotation spot – which he already guaranteed himself earlier this year. It’s fair to say his chances have taken a hit, and hopefully it means he won’t be given an undue advantage over guys like Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner.
UPDATE:
So, as noted in the comments, the fight was with Aramis Ramirez, who had made one of the three first-inning errors. Afterwards, Ramirez said all the right things:
“I’ve never had that problem in my life, even during the regular season. I’ve never gotten involved with a teammate like that. It was in the heat of the moment. I guarantee you after you shower and sit down, you realize you made a mistake.
“And [fights] shouldn’t happen, because we’re going to be together for a long time in here. We should work it out.”
Ramirez even defended Silva (in the same breath as a jab): “[Silva] wants to do good. It matters to him. It might not matter to Garza or Dempster, they have their spots secured. But [Silva] has to do good to make the rotation. And obviously he didn’t do it today.”
Mike Quade suggested that both parties were at fault:Â “Silva was frustrated and made a general comment defensively, and I think Ramy took issue with it. Ramy had a bad inning and he knew Silva was upset and decided to tell him, ‘Hey, I don’t need to hear that.’ It was an unfortunate deal but it’s not a big deal.”
Alfonso Soriano offered a bit more:Â “Carlos and Aramis have a lot of years in the big leagues, so I hope when they talk they put this thing behind them. We have a lot of pressure in Chicago with the fans and the media, so we don’t need that on the team.”
Well said, Alfonso.
