Montero: Pirates would be ‘stupid’ to think Arrieta, Cubs hit Kang on purpose

"Bad Blood" might need to get promoted beyond just Anthony Rizzo's walk-up song.

It may as well be the theme song for the Cubs-Pirates rivalry.

Jake Arrieta and the Cubs have had the Pirates' number dating back to late last season and tensions have boiled over between these two teams, including a benches-clearing incident in the one-game wild-card playoff in October.

The division rivals added a new chapter to the rivalry Saturday when the Pirates essentially accused Arrieta of hitting Jung Ho Kang on purpose in the fourth inning:

Locke on Arrieta hitting Kang: "It just seems like a guy like that, with the pinpoint accuracy he has, doesn't just miss in."
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) May 14, 2016

Locke on the Kang HBP: "Anytime somebody like Arrieta hits somebody, you've got to assume automatically that one didn't just get away."
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) May 14, 2016

Clint Hurdle on Arrieta hitting Kang: "I’m not good on judging intent. You can judge intent."
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) May 14, 2016

Arrieta's overall line (eight innings, two runs, 11 strikeouts) looks stellar, but he had some control issues, especially in that fourth inning when he allowed three hits and hit Kang.

Arrieta's catcher Miguel Montero thought the notion that the Cubs hitting Kang on purpose was ridiculous.

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"Nah. I mean, c'mon. Really?" Montero said. "You guys saw him. He was wild. He walked the pitcher on four pitches. Nah. That's really stupid. Seriously, that's stupid to say.

"[Arrieta] doesn't want to hit him. I guarantee that. He was a little wild in that inning."

At the time Kang got hit, the Cubs were already down 2-0 with a runner on third base and only one out. Hard to believe they'd want to give the Pirates another free runner at that point.

Montero said he is "100 percent sure" Arrieta didn't hit Kang on purpose, but since the Cubs veteran catcher was hit in the jersey two innings later, he also considers the Cubs and Pirates even.

After Montero was hit, home plate umpire Brian Knight warned both benches, which surprised Cubs manager Joe Maddon a bit.

"Obviously Jake was going through some command issues and he hits Kang. That's unfortunate," Maddon said. "I didn't think their guy hit Miggy on purpose at all."

Kang just got back from the disabled list after suffering a nasty leg injury on Chris Coghlan's takeout slide last September.

"The only people that are going to read into [Arrieta hitting Kang] is somebody that wants to," Maddon said. "Why would we ever want to hit him based on what happened last year?

"That makes no sense whatsoever. There are no dots to be connected there."