Torey Lovullo Addresses Pete Crow-Armstrong's Outburst Over Balk No-Call

For the second time in three days, tempers flared at Chase Field during the Arizona Diamondbacks' series win over the Chicago Cubs.

In the top of the sixth inning, knotted at 0-0, Cubs star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong rapped a leadoff double on the first pitch of the frame. He made it to third base on an ensuing ground out by Seiya Suzuki.

But then, after Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez threw a pitch, Crow-Armstrong and Chicago third base coach Quintin Berry appeared perturbed. The argument was that Rodriguez committed a balk, which should have scored Crow-Armstrong from third.

The umpires gathered, and determined it was not a balk. Crow-Armstrong was livid, and had to be restrained by Berry. Somehow, he avoided ejection.

Wild scene in the Dbacks Cubs game.

PCA needed to be held back by the third base coach after the umpires determined Eduardo Rodríguez did not balk.

Arizona would eventually get out of the inning unscathed. @azfamily pic.twitter.com/TIk0Oxfl55
— Griffin S. DeMarrais (@GDeMarraisTV) August 26, 2026

Crow-Armstrong had reason to be frustrated. Reviewing the footage, it did appear that Rodriguez did likely commit what could have been called a balk. Arizona took the lead on a Jordan Lawlar home run the next half inning and went on to win the game by a score of 2-0.

The umpires in Arizona rules no balk was committed on this play.

Eduardo Rodriguez stepped off the rubber mid windup. pic.twitter.com/MqC6dIqItn
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) August 26, 2026

After the game, Lovullo was asked about that call. Here's what Arizona's manager had to say.

Torey Lovullo on Pete Crow-Armstrong no-call

Aug 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) looks out to the field against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lovullo said he had not yet seen the footage of the no-call.

"Based on the reaction, maybe it was a balk," he said. "PCA seemed to really get upset, so I have not seen it. ... E-Rod was trying to quicken up his delivery.

"You want the umpires to get together. And I don't know what they're saying — I can't read lips and I'm not watching on TV. But the fact that [the umpires] got four guys together to try and get one play right, that's all a manager or a team can ask for. They follow their process.

"I think if all four of them have it, they're gonna call a balk. And then they break it down from there. But without them all having it, I think they got their minds together anddid the best they could."

Lovullo called Crow-Armstrong an "intense competitor" and was complimentary of the Cubs' star.

"He's getting after it. Everything that PCA does is fast and electric. That's why he's one of the best in the game. His response maybe told us how frustrated he was. So whatever happened, happened, and we won the game. That's all I can go on."

The manager said it might have been "a little bit of an emotional dump by [the Cubs], frustration by them, and we stepped into the right space."

Ironically enough, the Diamondbacks were on the wrong end of an emotional outburst two days prior, as Arizona's coaches got into a heated exchange over Berry relaying signs to Chicago's hitters from the third-base coach's box.

"Totally opposite of what happened on day one. I think we lost our composure, and they took advantage of it," Lovullo said. "You gotta be ready to take advantage of those situations, and we did."

Regardless, the Diamondbacks will take the momentum and head to San Francisco, where they will play four games in three days.

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