Not so Darlin’: Starlin Castro commits three errors in one inning

When it rains, it pours. That's an unofficial mantra we all seem to live by. Not surprisingly, the Chicago Cubs are no different, as evidenced by shortstop Starlin Castro's disastrous defensive inning Monday night at an uncomfortable Wrigley Field.

With a light rain falling and soggy field conditions playing a factor, Castro committed three errors in the span of five batters during the second inning. Those errors led directly to three unearned runs in a game Chicago would ultimately drop 5-3 despite Kosuke Fukudome's five hits outnumbering the Colorado Rockies' four.

The first error was the easiest chance of the three, though by no means was anything routine on this night. Troy Tulowitzki hit one on three bounces in Castro's direction and he simply couldn't handle the final hop.

Watch Castro's three errors

The second error came two batters later when Jose Lopez hit a chopper that Castro charged but could never get a grip on the exchange. A basehit ruling there wouldn't have drawn an argument from me under the circumstances, but it's a standard play on a dry field.

The third may have been as much a mental error as a physical error, and was the most devastating to be sure. Chris Iannetta pulled one deep in the hole at short. Castro did well to get in front of it, but his attempt to cut down the lead runner sailed way wide of the bag, allowing two runs to score and Iannetta to move all the way to third.

"After I caught the ball it was kind of wet and I tried to hurry," Castro said through an interpreter. "It was just one of those things."

One of those things Cubs fans hope Castro will avoid in the future as he learns his limitations.

On the bright side for Castro, at least he didn't commit three errors on a single play like Tommy John did back in 1988. John bobbled a groundball for one error, threw it past the first baseman for the second, and then took the relay throw and threw it past the catcher to complete the trifecta.

Aside from that, there was one person at Wrigley Field on Monday night who actually topped Castro's undesirable achievement. Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly, a catcher by trade, shifted to third base in a game for the San Francisco Giants back on Sept. 14, 1986, and committed four errors in one inning. Two fielding errors, two throwing errors, and a fifth misplayed ball that was ruled a hit.

The difference, though, was Brenly ended up rebounding to hit a game-tying single and then a game-winning home run, turning his nightmare game into a fairy tale. Starlin Castro finished his night 0 for 5 with four men left on base.

Oh well, Castro will bounce back. And hey, there's only a 40 percent chance of rain Tuesday night in Chicago. That should help.

Anna Paquin Diane Kruger Magdalena Wróbel Connie Nielsen Melissa George