New Orleans Zephyrs pitcher Ryan Tucker during the Zephyrs

It was only the fourth inning, but it was clear that Ryan Tucker was heading into the dugout for the night because the Zephyrs were down four runs and he had walked four batters.

But before walking off the field, he stopped for an angry exchange with the plate umpire, Mike Jarboe, to complain about what he considered a night of inconsistent calls.

And no matter how hard the Zephyrs struggled the rest of the Monday night, they were never able to overcome Tucker’s poor performance. They lost 9-8 to the Sacramento River Cats.

Tucker didn’t hang around the locker room to explain how he felt. But Manager Edwin Rodriguez made clear he was more disappointed in Tucker than in Jarboe, saying the pitcher shouldn’t have allowed the umpire to affect the way he pitched.

“The umpire is going be behind the plate the whole game,” Rodriguez said. “We fell behind early, and it’s hard to come back. That was pretty much the game.”

Tucker’s trouble began in the second inning. After the Zephyrs took a 1-0 lead, Tucker walked four consecutive batters. After the fourth walk, Tucker disagreed with Jarboe’s call. Jarboe then fired back, ordering Tucker back on the mound.

“The two of them of were irritated at each other,” Rodriguez said.

The third inning wasn’t any better. An error by third baseman Danny Richar set up two runners on base before catcher Josh Donaldson drove both runners in with a double. Left fielder Steven Tollesen followed by driving in Donaldson to give the River Cats a 3-1 lead.

The fourth inning was worse. Tucker allowed three consecutive singles to give the River Cats a 4-1 lead before he left the game.

The loss was as much a drag on Tucker’s record as the Zephyrs’. After throwing a series of strikes in the middle of the plate, he left the game, having allowed five earned runs on six hits. And he has been the losing pitcher in each of his last five starts.

“Ryan is a good pitcher, but he’s been struggling,” Richar said. “The umpire had a bad zone, but that happens.”

The rest of the Zephyrs didn’t help Tucker until it was too late. The Zephyrs left 11 runners on base – many of which reached second base – before they scored six runs in the final two innings to make the game close.

Still, Rodriguez said Tucker bears the brunt of the blame for the Zephyrs’ loss, bringing their season record to 16-20. And before taking Tucker out of the game, Rodriguez said he let the pitcher know what was on his mind.

“This game is all about pitching,” Rodriguez said. “ When you get on the mound, you have control of the game because you have the ball. He has to learn from that.”

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