Ump show: The real reason Craig Counsell was ejected is beyond belief

Manager Craig Counsell was ejected for the first time as a Cub on Monday in the team's eventual loss to the Atlanta Braves.

First base umpire Junior Valentine ejected Counsell, who was complaining from the Cubs dugout. With the bases loaded in the fourth, Cubs ace Shota Imanaga faced off against defending NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. On a 2-1 pitch, Acuña Jr. checked his swing on a pitch below the zone. Valentine ruled that Acuña Jr. did not offer at the pitch, and Counsell disagreed.

The ejection itself was rather anticlimactic. Counsell was tossed for complaining one too many times, but got his money's worth once he was thrown out of the game, complaining to Valentine in the process. Counsell was surprised he was ejected in the first place, but got his answer when he went to discuss the matter with Valentine.

Ump show: Craig Counsell's ejection served a purpose for Cubs

Umpires don't take criticism well. In this case, it's tough believe such a small gesture would force Valentine's hand. As it turns out, Counsell had a point complaining in the first place.

As FanSided's Alicia de Artola noted, Counsell's interruption of play actually helped the Cubs in the long run.

"Counsell's ejection ultimately helped the Cubs. It resulted in a stoppage in play, giving the pitcher a chance to collect himself and taking the batter out of his rhythm. The manager delayed his exit as long as he could to give both of them as much time as possible to think. Imanaga's next pitch resulted in a fly out to end the inning," de Artola wrote.

Providing a pitcher like Imanaga the chance to catch his breath and collect himself was a wise move by Counsell. Imanaga went five innings and didn't give up a run, escaping his fourth-inning jam and never looking back. Chicago's bullpen couldn't hold serve, though, as Hayden Wesneski gave up two runs.