The Bernstein Brief: Yes, That's An Error
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta need not be penalized for inducing a ground ball hit directly to his second baseman, and it's good that he wasn't in firing a no-hitter against the Dodgers on Sunday night in a 2-0 win.
While we may be conditioned to what seem like more offense-friendly official scoring decisions in recent years, Starlin Castro's misplay of the one-hopper off the bat of Kike Hernandez was just that -- a poor decision to let the ball play him into an overreactive, unnecessary jump that took his eyes off it for a split second.
We're constantly reminding young players on diamonds everywhere to stay down, and Castro didn't. He didn't have to range even a full step in either direction to make a play, because Arrieta executed his pitch with the infield defense positioned just right.
We expect a big leaguer to handle that one. It was an error, despite the Dodgers' protests afterward.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
