Matthew Boyd called for balk on pickoff try, Craig Counsell ejected in Cubs’ loss: ‘The umpire got fooled’

SEATTLE – Matthew Boyd is one of baseball’s best pickoff artists. So why did his pickoff try Friday night get called a balk? The Cubs were wondering the same thing, with manager Craig Counsell in disagreement with home-plate umpire Brennan Miller to the point of getting ejected from his team’s extra-inning loss to the Mariners. “It’s not a balk,” Counsell said after the game. “He hasn’t been called for a balk in seven years. He had one where it wasn’t a pickoff move, but he hasn’t been called…