Arrieta HBP riles Pirates; Cubs say not intentional

8:01 PM ET

CHICAGO — The games between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t been as competitive as many thought they would be this season, but the rivalry has remained heated nonetheless.

For the second time in as many series this season, both benches were warned Saturday after each side hit a batter.

Some Pirates thought Cubs starter Jake Arrieta’s fourth-inning pitch, which hit Jung Ho Kang, was intentional, though the Cubs vehemently denied it. Both sides agreed that Jeff Locke’s fastball, which nicked catcher Miguel Montero, wasn’t intentional. It was at that point both benches were warned.

“Anytime somebody like Arrieta hits somebody, you’ve got to assume automatically that one didn’t just get away,” Locke told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the Cubs’ 8-2 win. “When he misses like that, maybe you raise an eyebrow or something. Jung Ho is as talented as anybody. You want to make good pitches to him, too, so maybe you get away from going in. … I don’t know what happened on the pitch. It got him pretty plush, though.”

Jake Arrieta hit the Pirates’ Jung Ho Kang with a pitch in the fourth inning, which some Pittsburgh players felt was intentional. Dennis Wierzbicki/USA Today Sports

Montero, who was catching Arrieta on Satuday, had issues with that assertion.

“That’s …

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