Major League Baseball said Wednesday afternoon that Rays righty Edwin Uceta has been suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount for throwing at Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos during Tuesday night’s game. Tampa Bay’s manager, Kevin Cash, has been suspended for one game. Uceta has the option of appealing and remaining eligible to play while the appeal is being processed. The league said that Cash will serve his ban on Wednesday. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report on the suspension information.
Uceta entered Tuesday night’s game in the eighth inning with two runners on base and one out, and the score was tied 4-4. He soon gave up a two-run double to outfielder Cal Stevenson, a strikeout to catcher Garrett Stubbs, an RBI single to infielder Buddy Kennedy, and a two-run home run to Trea Turner. Bryce Harper followed with a double. Uceta then hit Castellanos on the hip with a 96.2 mph sinker on the first pitch of his second plate appearance, causing both benches to clear (video link). Castellanos and Harper, in particular, were inspired by their outrage and their interpretation of the pitch’s aim.
Castellanos stated after the game that he had “an overwhelming sense that [he] was about to get drilled” before even entering the batter’s box (source: Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). Harper was also vocal in the aftermath, noting that throwing at a player with malice “is not something that you should accept as Major League Baseball” — especially in an era when today’s pitchers can throw as hard. “We’re in a race right now,” Harper said. “We are doing our thing. We’re attempting to make the playoffs. A guy intends to drill him. It’s not correct.”
Uceta, speaking via an interpreter, insisted that he did not mean to hit Castellanos, the only batter he has hit all season in 36 1/3 innings (138 batters faced) and only the third batter he has hit in his MLB career (314 plate appearances).
Despite that poor performance, Uceta’s ERA for the season is 1.49. He’s quietly emerged as a key bullpen piece for Tampa Bay after signing a minor league contract in the offseason and being promoted to the big league squad in May. Impeccable command has contributed to Uceta’s success this season. He’s walked only 4.3% of his opponents (compared to a staggering 37% strikeout percentage).
Of course, that alone does not indicate purpose; it was a high-pressure situation in which Uceta made critical errors on both Stevenson’s double and Turner’s home run. He has also battled with command, entering the season with a lifetime walk rate of 11.9%. It’s entirely possible that he was rattled by the event in an outing where he’d already lost command. Still, it’s reasonable that the Phillies took offense and assumed there was intent.
Regardless, Cash will be gone from Wednesday’s game, while Uceta could miss up to three games. Fortunately, Castellanos did not sustain any injuries while playing. He remained in the game and will be back in the lineup on Wednesday. Leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, who injured his elbow on a dive back into first base Tuesday night and was scheduled for further evaluation Wednesday, was originally in the lineup but was scratched just minutes ago after informing the team of lingering elbow soreness (X link via Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Harper will be the designated hitter, while Kody Clemens will play first base.
