Umps blow calls all the time.

How often do you see a call as bad as the one Marty Foster made Monday night with the Rangers fighting to hold off the Rays?

Closer Joe Nathan threw what should have been called ball four to Ben Zobrist. Except Foster didn’t see it that way.

Here’s the play (check out Nathan’s reaction):

 

To his credit, Foster admitted making the wrong call — after the game.

“Had I had a chance to do it again, I wouldn’t call that pitch a strike,” he said.

That doesn’t help the Rays today.

– Rick Green (follow me @ETNrgreen)

Were you an Albert Belle fan when he was with the Cleveland Indians?

If so, make plans for Cleveland on June 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays when the Indians will give away a Belle bobblehead.

The bobblehead has Belle, once one of the most feared hitters in baseball, flexing his muscles.

Sounds like a must-add to any bobblehead collection.

– Rick Green (follow me on Twitter @ETNrgreen)

By MIKE COPPER

mike.copper@timesnews.com

Chris Cron regards himself as a teacher of baseball as much as a manager. Maybe more teacher than manager.
It’s why he loves to be hands-on during the Erie SeaWolves’ pregame workouts.
Cron can still be found hitting grounders and fungo-bat fly balls. However, standing behind the mesh netting while tossing batting practice is out for now.
That duty has been delegated to pitching coach Ray Burris while Cron recovers from long-delayed shoulder surgery.
“For me, I did it because I wanted to be able to do normal activities,” Cron said. “I want to be like the people who are reading this article; just get up and reach for a gallon of milk and be able to pour it.”
Doing such a prosaic task without pain is why Cron, like so many in baseball, marveled at what 49-year old Jamie Moyer achieved April 17.
That was the date Moyer — one year, four months and 12 days older than Cron — became oldest pitcher ever to win a major league game. The left-hander went the first seven innings of the Colorado Rockies’ 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Coors Field.
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Starting lineups for Thursday’s Eastern League game between the Bowie Baysox and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Bowie Baysox (2-5): 1. Buck Britton LF, 2. L.J. Hoes CF, 3. Zelous Wheeler 3B, 4. Manny Machado SS, 5. Tyler Townsend DH, 6. Caleb Joseph C, 7. Robbie Widlansky RF, 8. Brandon Waring 1B, 9. Jonathan Schoop 2B.

Starting pitcher: Jacob Petit LH (0-0, 3.00 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (2-3): 1. Jamie Johnson CF, 2. Niuman Romero SS, 3. Tony Plagman LF, 4. Rawley Bishop 3B, 5. Jordan Lennerton 1B, 6. Bryan Pounds DH, 7. Rob Brantly C, 8. Brandon Douglas 2B, 9. Michael Rockett RF.

Starting pitcher: Jay Voss LH (0-1, 9.64 ERA).

– Mike Copper

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