Cubs' Montero blames 'slow' Jake Arrieta after Nationals steal seven bases on him
Trouble in the Cubs clubhouse? Montero doesn't want to get blamed for the situation

During Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals, the Chicago Cubs allowed seven stolen bases, including four by Trea Turner.
Afterward, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero cleared the air about just whom was at fault for the steals. Spoiler: it wasn't him. Here's what Montero said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers:
"That's the reason they were running left and right today, because they [Arrieta] were slow to the plate," Montero said after the Cubs' 6-1 loss. "Simple as that. It's a shame it's my fault because I didn't throw anyone out.
"It really sucked, because the stolen bases go on me. But when you really look at it, the pitcher doesn't give me any time, so yeah, 'Miggy can't throw anyone out,' but my pitchers don't hold anyone on."
Whether or not Montero should have voiced his frustrations publicly, he does have a point.
Yeah, he's thrown out a single thief on 32 tries in 2017, but it's not entirely his fault: Arrieta is slow to the plate, and has allowed basestealers to succeed 83 percent of the time throughout his career -- or about 11 percentage points more than the league-average.
What's more is advanced metrics, like Baseball Prospectus' Takeoff Rate Above Average, indicate teams are more likely to run on Arrieta than any other pitcher, even when controlling for various factors. There's only so much Montero or any other catcher can do. Turner, by the way, confirmed he was running on Arrieta, not Montero, in his post-game media session.
Consider Montero vindicated, but boy oh boy is none of this is likely to sit well in Chicago. (Note: Anthony Rizzo has since responded to Montero's comments.) The Cubs have underperformed all season long, and now players are beginning to divvy up blame through the media? It's a good thing the Cubs won the World Series last year -- otherwise things would be really ugly.