Dodgers Win: Greinke Injured In Brawl [Video]
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 Thursday night in a game that was overshadowed by a benches-clearing brawl in the bottom of the sixth. Dodgers’ starting pitcher Zack Greinke hit Padres’ outfielder Carlos Quentin on the left arm with a pitch, causing the benches to clear after Quentin charged the mound.
Quentin’s frustration got the better of him as he collided with Greinke near the mound and ended up at the bottom of the scrum after both teams charged the field. Greinke lowered his shoulder while taking the hit from Quentin and fractured his collarbone in the process.
After both teams had separated, Dodgers’ star Matt Kemp got into an altercation with Padres’ manager Bud Black while teammate Jerry Hairston Jr. had to be restrained after running across the field towards the Padres’ dugout. Both players were ejected from the game, but Kemp didn’t stop there.
Kemp confronted Quentin after the game near the players’ exit before it was broken up by security and police. The Padres’ Clayton Richard did his best to separate the two while they jawed back-and-forth at each other but was unsuccessful as frustration took over for both players.
After the game, the Dodgers announced that Greinke will not be back on the mound anytime soon as he fractured his collarbone in the sixth inning scuffle. The injury comes after Greinke signed a six-year, $147 million contract this past offseason.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was not pleased with the situation after the game and made it known that his pitcher had no intentions of hitting Quentin on purpose.
“You know he’s not throwing at you 3-2 (full count), in a 2-1 game,” Mattingly said. “That’s zero understanding of the game of baseball.”
The reasoning behind Quentin’s rampage was not immediately clear, but, according to ESPN Stats & Information, Quentin has been hit by a pitch 42-times since 2011, more than any other major leaguer. To cap it off, Quentin has also been hit three times by Greinke, more than any other player Greinke has faced.
Here’s video of the benches-clearing brawl that ended with Greinke’s injury and a brand new feud between the two ball clubs:
Once both teams separated and order was restored, the ball game resumed as Chris Capuano took over on the mound for the injured Greinke. With a 2-1 lead, Capuano gave up the tying run off an RBI-single to Yonder Alonso in his first batter of the game.
Capuano got out of the inning without any more harm done and pitched the first two outs of the seventh inning before Matt Guerrier came in and got Jesus Guzman to fly out.
Guerrier would end up getting the win as Juan Uribe came in to pinch-hit in the top of the eighth and homered to left to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Ronald Belisario then pitched a scoreless eighth for the Dodgers before Kenley Jansen took the mound for the save.
Jansen struck out Cody Randsom and got his first save of the season after back-to-back fly balls ended the Padres’ chances. The Padres have lost two straight and dropped to the bottom of the NL West.
The Dodgers have now won two straight games but trail the San Francisco Giants by a half-game for the division lead. The Dodgers and Padres will meet again next week for a three-game series in Los Angeles, and tensions will be high after the benches-clearing brawl on Thursday.
No suspensions or fines have been passed out yet, but the MLB will more than likely address the situation Friday and discuss any repercussions. Will any players be suspended or receive a fine for their involvement in the Dodgers-Padres’ brawl on Thursday?
[Image via Keith Allison]
