SAN DIEGO -- Four players were suspended and three more fined as the result of Wednesday's benches-clearing altercation at Coors Field between the Padres and Rockies.Colorado's Nolan Arenado and San Diego's Luis Perdomo each received five-game bans for their roles as the primary instigators of the fracas. Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra received a four-game suspension, while Padres reliever Buddy Baumann was hit with a one-game suspension. Arenado and Parra will appeal; it remains unclear if Perdomo will do the same."I think that falls in line with what you've seen the last number of years with these things," Rockies skipper Bud Black said. "As of now [Parra and Arenado] are appealing. But that could change."All four suspended players were fined undisclosed amounts, as were Rockies starter German Marquez, Padres catcher A.J. Ellis and Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis.
Wednesday's incident sparked when Perdomo threw a 96-mph fastball behind Arenado, who promptly charged the mound. Perdomo responded by throwing his glove in Arenado's direction. Chaos followed as players converged from all directions on the left side of the infield."Five games is a lot of games, you know," Arenado said. "I was just defending myself. ... They throw hard out there and reactions happen, and that's all it was."Perdomo has maintained his innocence, claiming that an inside pitch merely got away from him. But the results preceding the incident tell a bit of a different story.Padres center fielder Manuel Margot had been plunked in the ribs the night before and ended up on the disabled list as a result. The next day, Rockies shortstop Trevor Story and Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe were also hit in the early stages of the game. Tensions boiled over in the third when Perdomo's pitch sailed behind Arenado."You're not going out there, you don't want to charge the mound, you don't want to fight, that's not why we're playing this game," Arenado said. "But you know, 96 at you on purpose, I think would frustrate a lot of people."Parra and Arenado were in the lineup for Friday's game against Washington. Should one of the two drop the appeal, the Rockies could stagger the suspensions so as not to have two regulars out of the starting lineup at the same time. After three games in Washington this weekend, Colorado heads to Pittsburgh for three before returning home to face the Cubs.Perdomo was slated to start Monday against the Dodgers. Barring an extended appeal, the Padres would need to fill his place in the rotation.Long relievers Robbie Erlin and Jordan Lyles -- both of whom competed for starting jobs in Spring Training -- are the likeliest candidates to replace Perdomo. Right-hander Walker Lockett could also fill in. He's slated to pitch Monday for Triple-A El Paso, and already has a place on the team's 40-man roster.Baumann, meanwhile, has since been optioned to El Paso, meaning he won't serve his suspension until he returns to the big leagues. Baumann was not ejected from the game, and after the kerfuffle he allowed five runs (two earned) in the inning in relief of Perdomo.The Padres and Rockies, who have already met seven times this month, will square off again April 23-25 in Denver.
AJ Cassavell/MLB.com
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