"Framing" - Cards - Dodgers game...

[stl_ump]

From the L.A. Times 

Interesting to see / hear what goes on between a catcher and umpire.

A. J. Ellis said his primary source of frustration was Winters' strike zone, which he described as inconsistent."I had a rough game," Ellis said.

"Mike had a rough game." Ellis said he was pushed over the edge when he perceived Winters to be criticizing how he was catching the ball.

When reliever J.P. Howell walked Matt Carpenter in the seventh inning, Ellis said he was told by Winters, "The presentation was poor."

Ellis said he responded, "It doesn't matter. It matters if it comes through the zone or not."

Ellis recalled Winters telling him, "Your presentation was poor."

Moments later, Ellis was out of the game."He just repeated himself," Ellis said.

Winters declined to speak after the game, but he said through a Cardinals official that he and Ellis disagreed about ball and strike calls.

"The rest of it stays private," Winters said through the official.

Ellis said he felt as if Winters was blaming him for certain calls.

"It's almost like admitting it was a strike and then putting the onus on me," he said.

Ellis is aware that advanced metrics rate indicate he is well below average at framing pitches — the technique of turning borderline pitches into called strikes. The team's primary catcher for the last three seasons, Ellis has spent most of this season backing up Yasmani Grandal, who excels at pitch framing. Grandal is currently on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

"People on blogs and websites can critique my framing, but I'm not going to take it from an umpire because it's not their job to do that," he said. "It's their job to call balls and strikes based on what comes through a strike zone."

Manager Don Mattingly defended his catcher.

"I don't think you want the umpires telling your catcher how he should catch it," Mattingly said.

[ricka56]

Unbelievable, this F2 made it all the way to MLB and doesn't know that making strikes look like balls is a bad thing to do.

[umpstu]

Just saw the video.  No way should he have caught the ball like that.

[stl_ump]

Got a link to the video?

[umpstu]

[stl_ump]

Thanks.

[noumpere]

Didn't (can't) watch the video, but what I've often told coaches is that while I try not to be fooled by the catcher, I'm not so dumb to think that I'm not sometimes fooled by the catcher.  And "fooled" means turning a ball into a strike AND turning a strike into a ball.

[Gfoley4]

 

not getting a strike on this

[Rich Ives]

This is correct:

 

Ellis said he responded, "It doesn't matter. It matters if it comes through the zone or not."

[ZebraStripes]

This is correct:

 

Ellis said he responded, "It doesn't matter. It matters if it comes through the zone or not."

​When taking everything you see into account, you can, and often will lose the strike call when you pull it.  

[johnnyg08]

This is correct:

 

Ellis said he responded, "It doesn't matter. It matters if it comes through the zone or not."

​Ellis also added "except when I'm hitting..."

[kstrunk]

Ellis has no business complaining about this call, as it appears he's set up outside, or at least 'middle out', and the pitch is down and in, making him reach significantly for it. It's not a strike. 

That said, I pray I never say anything of the sort to a catcher. Not saying Winters did or didn't, I just pray I never do.