On Friday night, Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya asked for a Justin Steele slider with two strikes against Spencer Steer in the fourth. The lefty agreed with the pitch selection and delivered a breaking ball that elicited the swing both were seeking for in that situation. Steer swung over the slider, which broke down and collided with the dirt behind the plate. Amaya, who has shined in the blocking department this season, was unable to grasp the baseball. It skipped away, and an inning-ending strikeout turned into a two-out jam with runners on the corners for the Reds.
On a night when Steele delivered some of his best work of the season, an ill-timed error (deemed a wild pitch) had a significant impact on the game’s outcome. Tyler Stephenson followed with a two-run double, and Cincinnati added a third run in the fifth to seal Chicago’s second consecutive loss. However, when the offensive output is limited to only two runs, the magnifying glass focuses on the in-game details that influence the win probability. Amaya scored one of the runs with a double off the left-field wall against reliever Alexis DÃaz in the ninth. However, the catcher’s earlier mistake behind the plate stayed in his mind.