Kenta Maeda questions effect of Astros' sign stealing on Yu Darvish

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Kenta Maeda is openly wondering whether the Astros' sign stealing affected the performance of teammate Yu Darvish during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2017 World Series loss to Houston.

Darvish lost Games 3 and 7, giving up nine runs -- eight earned -- over 3 1/3 total innings with two walks and zero strikeouts. He didn't make it out of the second inning in either game.

"Yu Darvish usually doesn't give up that many hits. In that sense now that this news has come out, it makes sense. And he didn't get any strikeouts," Maeda said through an interpreter Friday morning at Minnesota's spring training complex, four days after he was acquired from Los Angeles.

Maeda said he didn't think sign stealing affected his performance. He gave up a tying, three-run homer in Game 5 to Jose Altuve in a game Houston went on to win.

"That's the only homer I gave up," Maeda said. "I'm not even sure for 100% if he knew my signs, if he knew the pitch.

"If I knew for sure Altuve knew my pitch, I would have been bothered, frustrated," Maeda added.

He is bothered that his chance to win the World Series was affected.

"Being a Dodger at that time, it is a little frustrating because the Dodgers had a chance to win the whole thing," Maeda said.