Trent Thornton was done before the inning was over, and the dugout reaction made sure everyone knew it. After getting pulled in the top of the fifth inning of the Chicago Cubs’ 9-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, Thornton spiked his glove into the bench and screamed twice in frustration.
The moment is drawing attention because it came in the middle of a tight game that swung fast. Thornton entered in the top of the fourth with a man on third and two outs while the Cubs trailed 6-5, then struck out Luis Lara to stop that threat. He opened the fifth by striking out Christian Yelich, but the next three hitters reached as Joey Ortiz walked and Cooper Pratt and Jackson Chourio followed with singles. Craig Counsell then took him out after those three straight baserunners.
Thornton’s outburst is the kind of thing that can happen when a pitcher feels he had one more out in him. He had already worked through a dangerous spot in the previous inning, and one strikeout to start the next frame suggested he might have settled back in before the inning unraveled. Instead, the quick sequence of baserunners ended his night and left him shouting in the dugout while Ryan Rolison retired the next two hitters in order.
That is what makes this more than a blown inning. Thornton is in his first season with the Cubs and had been a steady part of the staff, with a 3.40 ERA in 45 innings pitched, three saves and 44 appearances. The Cubs dropped the third game of a four-game series to their National League Central rival, and the loss left them at 78-62 while the Brewers moved to 87-53.
No discipline was reported after the dugout flare-up, and that leaves the focus on what happens next for a pitcher who clearly wanted to stay in the game. The Cubs go right back into the series Thursday at 7:15 p.m. ET, and the only thing Thornton can change now is how he responds the next time he is asked to take the ball.
