Werth rips umpires after confusing end to Nationals-Braves game

The Atlanta Braves were gifted another opportunity to potentially walk off the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night and Jayson Werth wasn't happy about it.

Atlanta was trailing the Nationals 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded, but Braves third baseman Chase d'Arnaud struck out to end the game. The Nationals celebrated and began walking off the field, the grounds crew came out to begin their postgame routine, and fans started leaving the stadium.

And then things got weird.

The umpiring crew gathered and eventually ruled that d'Arnaud fouled the pitch off - despite replays showing he missed the ball by several inches. The teams were forced to return to the field to finish the at-bat. Luckily for the Nationals, d'Arnaud officially struck out to end the game for good.

Despite his team hanging on for the win, Werth was irate following the game.

"This is my like my 14th year in the big leagues," Werth said, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN. "You see a lot of things, but when it's consistently not with the standards of the league, I think something needs to be done.

"I just can't believe that every time it's bottom of the barrel. Every time. I know I'm handcuffed here. I can't say a whole lot. I don't want to get suspended. But these games are serious. That's the thing. These games mean a lot. The game is over there, and all of a sudden it's not over. I'm not even talking about balls and strikes or anything else. It just blows my mind that in a big league baseball game that can actually happen."

Werth wasn't the only member of the Nationals who was upset, as manager Dusty Baker also had some thoughts on the controversial decision that gave Atlanta another chance at the plate.

"It was just a mess," Baker said. "That’s all I got to say."

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)