San Francisco Giants

Players plunked, tempers flare as Marlins drop Game 2 of series against Giants

Published Jun. 20, 2018 9:26 a.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --Buster Posey certainly thought he got hit by a pitch in retaliation.

Manager Bruce Bochy is still disappointed the Marlins plunked Evan Longoria last week and the third baseman is now recovering from surgery on his left hand.

Miami's Don Mattingly insists nobody on either side was intentionally hit and became upset that the umpires warned both teams too quickly.

Posey homered in the first, Gorkys Hernandez hit a two-run drive in the second and an RBI double later, and the San Francisco Giants held their lead this time to beat the Marlins 6-3 on Tuesday in another night of plunking by both pitching staffs.

Marlins starter Dan Straily and Mattingly were automatically ejected in the second after Straily hit Posey on the left arm with a pitch. Both sides had been warned by plate umpire Andy Fletcher the previous inning after Giants rookie starter Dereck Rodriguez beaned Lewis Brinson as tempers flared for a second straight game.

Whether it was intentional by Straily, Posey said: "I don't know. It sure seemed that way."

Three players were hit and both benches warned early, upsetting Mattingly that the warning came after only his player had been hit.

"I think everybody knows if you give one warning after one guy then you're asking for trouble out of the blue," Mattingly said.

He added: "I'm sure Rodriguez didn't mean to hit Brinson and Straily didn't mean to hit Buster. ... If they thought there was going to be something going on they should have given both teams warnings before the game. If they thought it was intentional on their part, (Rodriguez) should have been out of the game."

The tension began during Monday's series opener when Hunter Strickland took exception to Brinson's celebration following his tying RBI single in the ninth off the Giants closer, who blew the save and took the loss. Brinson appeared to say something to the reliever on his way to first. Brinson was at third when Strickland was pulled and the two exchanged words.

The Giants closer later broke his pitching hand punching a door in frustration and had surgery Tuesday.

Rodriguez (2-1) struck out six over five innings. He hit Derek Dietrich in the fourth but it wasn't considered intentional so he was safe from being tossed from his fourth career start. He had a no-decision in a 16-inning Giants win against the Marlins last Thursday.

Straily was ejected for the first time in his career while Mattingly got tossed for the 35th time as both player -- seven times -- and manager.

"My response I guess would be: Were they throwing at Longoria? (Kelby Tomlinson) got hit in the back last night, so that's my response, were they throwing at him?" Bochy said.

Elieser Hernandez relieved Straily (2-3), who had been 4-0 with 2.82 in his initial six starts against the Giants.

Andrew McCutchen immediately singled and Brandon Belt drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Giants up 4-0 -- the same lead they held in the early innings Monday only to squander it and fall 5-4 as Strickland gave it up and lost his cool. He will be out six to eight weeks.

JT Riddle hit a two-run triple in the fourth following singles by Starlin Castro and Miguel Rojas. Brian Anderson's RBI double four batters later snapped an 0-for-10 stretch over his previous three games.

The Giants added on in the fifth with consecutive RBI doubles by Alen Hanson, his second of the night, and Hernandez.

Posey sent the first pitch he saw from Straily midway up the bleachers in left-center before Hernandez -- who didn't hit a single homer all last season and now has eight -- connected following Hanson's double leading off the second.

The Marlins left the bases loaded in the second after Rojas reached on second baseman Joe Panik's one-out throwing error and Riddle singled before Brinson was plunked.

STRICKLAND'S (LATEST) PUNCH

An X-ray after Monday's game revealed the break of Strickland's pinkie, similar to what sidelined lefty ace Madison Bumgarner to begin the season after he was hurt in his final spring training start.

Strickland, who apologized on social media Tuesday, had shown Bochy maturity since his fight with Nationals star Bryce Harper in late May of last year.

Bochy said after the game Sam Dyson would be his regular closer. Dyson came in to relieve Will Smith and record the final two outs on a double play for his second save.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Marlins: 1B Garrett Cooper (bruised right wrist) played four innings for a second straight game at Class A Jupiter and was set to continue his rehab with Triple-A New Orleans.

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford is expected to rejoin the team from paternity leave Wednesday and play again Thursday. ... All went as expected with Longoria's surgery on his hand and he was accompanied by athletic trainer Dave Groeschner at the procedure in Los Angeles. Longoria was headed to Arizona and is in a soft cast for a few days then is scheduled to rejoin the Giants in the Bay Area on Friday or Saturday. ... RHP Johnny Cueto, who threw a 40-pitch, two-inning simulated game Monday, is likely headed out soon to begin a rehab assignment as he works back from inflammation in his pitching elbow. ... RHP Pierce Johnson was on his way from Triple-A Sacramento to take Strickland's roster spot.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (2-8, 4.18 ERA) looks to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season and build off his best outing of 2018. He tossed eight shutout innings Friday at Baltimore.

Giants: LHP Derek Holland (4-7, 4.48), coming off a loss last Friday at the Dodgers, pitches the afternoon finale and is 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA in four day starts vs. 1-6 with a 5.58 ERA at night.