Pirates' Hurdle criticizes Baez, Contreras: 'Where is the respect for the game?'

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle would like to see Javier Baez and Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs show more respect for baseball.

On Wednesday, Baez flipped his bat on a pop-up to shortstop and Contreras appeared upset with a called third strike against Hurdle's Pirates. The skipper wasn't pleased with either player's actions and made that clear before the teams squared off again Thursday at Wrigley Field.

"Where is the respect for the game?" Hurdle told reporters, including The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel. "(Baez) hit four homers in two days, does that mean you can take your bat and throw it 15-20 feet in the air when you pop up, like you should have hit your fifth home run? I would bet that men went over and talked to him, because I believe they've got a group there that speaks truth to power."

Hurdle also described Baez as "probably one of the more exciting players in the game."

The 25-year-old infielder apologized for his bat flip and lack of hustle to first during the play, saying he understood that it was "ugly" and noting that some of his teammates did speak to him about it constructively.

In the sixth inning of the same game, Contreras appeared upset with umpire Dan Bellino's strike zone. He angrily reacted to a called third strike and wouldn't leave the batter's box while questioning Bellino. Contreras' behavior also drew criticism from Hurdle.

"He's a talented young man," Hurdle explained. "There is a day, he would have been thrown out as soon as he (gestured) that the ball was high. Those are things you try to help your young players with as they go through it. That's not respect for the game, that’s not the way we do things here.

Hurdle added, "There is entitlement all over the world. Sometimes, when you have a skill, you can feel special and you don't get what it looks like. Most of the time here, we try to show our players what it looks (like). And that’s usually enough."