Cubs' Sveum still steamed, but failed sac fly "by no means Starlin's fault"

Manager Dale Sveum said he was still chapped by the sixth inning play Tuesday night that cost the Cubs a chance to tie the game in the 1-0 loss to Houston – saying he remained “baffled” by Dave Sappelt’s decision to try to take third on what should have been a sacrifice fly.

Sveum, who planned to talk in detail to the rookie outfielder, also made it clear before tonight’s series finale against Houston that no part of the blame for failing to score that fun falls on Starlin Castro’s shoulders for easing up before crossing the plate.

Castro’s “run” was waved off when Sappelt was nailed at third for the third out of the inning.

“It’s not on [Castro] at all,” Sveum said. “Yeah, you want everybody to maybe sprint 100 percent through home plate, but not when it’s a complete no-brainer, where there’s no play at home and there’s no play anywhere else. It’s a non-play, basically.

“It’s just a sac fly, long enough to easily score the guy from third and [you shouldn’t] even be thinking about doing anything – we tied the game and move on, and you’re still in scoring position with two outs. …

“It’s by no means Starlin’s fault for shutting it down 5 feet on front of home plate.”