Lorenzo Cain tried to work a key walk in a tied game with a runner on third, but a couple of missed calls changed the inning. The count should have gone to 3-0, but the umpire expanded the zone on a clear ball. Cain looked frustrated, and it got worse on the 3-1 pitch that was also low but called a strike. Brewers manager Craig Counsell couldn’t believe it either. They wanted to get Yelich to the plate as the potential go-ahead hitter. Instead, Cain grounded out, ending the threat.
After the inning, Counsell let the umpire have it. The blown calls weren’t close, and he made sure the ump heard about them. Things got heated, with the two face to face. The ump accused Counsell of bumping him and gave him a smug look as if he’d won something. Counsell didn’t back down, calling him out for missing obvious pitches and acting arrogant. The final shot of the ump giving a little smirk didn’t sit well. The Brewers lost their chance in that inning because the strike zone fell apart at the worst time.