BaseBrawl tomorrow and Sunday
 

The Reds/Pirates game tomorrow is almost certainly going to be a bench clearing brawl.

With 2 outs in the 9th, and a 3-0 lead, the Reds closer Chapman drilled McCutchen high with a 101mph fastball on the 1st pitch.

It looked 100% intentional -- and even more so because Chapman had outstanding control with every other pitch in an otherwise remarkable 1-2-3 inning.

McCutchen didn't flinch, wince, or even touch it and just glared at him as he walked to first base.

Immediately after the game, McCutchen went absoutely ballistic in the dugout and wouldn't comment on anything to the press...so Sportscenter might not pick it up.

The Pirates have a big dilemma tomorrow because Cueto, Votto, and Chapman all will not have a single at-bat this series.

A. J. Burnett was pretty pissed from the dugout and he goes on Sunday.

This should get good. If I managed the Pirates, I wouldn't even care about the outcome of tomorrows game and would bribe my pitchers with boutines if they hit opposing Reds batters in the head the next two days. I think you also need to offer cash rewards for injuries to Cueto, Votto, or Chapman if they show up on the field in a bench-clearing situation.

I know they won't go to the proper extreme -- but I'm almost certain something will happen this series.

Come on. You can't ask your pitchers to hit the Reds players in the head. Anywhere else but not the head. My question is what had happened prior to Chapman hitting McCutchen. Being up 3-0 in the ninth, the last thing you want to do is start putting runners on intentionally so what led up to it to make you think Chapman did it on purpose?

McDonald has had problems with control since the All Star break, so I'm not sure they want to put it on him today...they need to get him straightened out if they want to stay in the playoff race. Knowing they hit your best player, McDonald may just do it on his own to get it out of the way early.

If I had to guess, I would say Bruce or Ludwick gets one from Burnett on Sunday or since they have two more series with the Reds, they wait and tag Votto in September. Then again the other opportunity may come up today depending how the game goes with one of their harder throwing relievers...Hanrahan or Hughes. Should be interesting.

The Reds pitcher plunked a Pirate at the start of the game -- they warned both benches -- and the Pirates manager got ejected for coming out and yelling at the ump for warning his bench.

The Pirates hit no one.

They lost 5-4 -- McCutchen (who was batting .372 coming into this game) went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts one day after taking a 102 mph fastball off the back of his neck.

Wins and losses come a dime a dozen both ways -- you can't ever accept someone bullying you, intimidating you, and taking an edge on you.

The Pirates wasted an opportunity for justifiable ruthlessness and a chance to send everyone a clear message 'try to bully us, and we will show you a level of violence you will find unpleasant to deal with and uncomfortable to try and match tit for tat'

Instead, they lost a one-run game and by far the best player they have had a terrible game at the plate.

Turned out to a smart move by the Reds. Hit the first guy and get the warnings out of the way. Probably Infuritated the Bucs even more and maybe take them off their game a bit.
Today will probably be the bloodbath, especially if the game gets out of hand score wise. Regardless, at some point the Bucs have to protect their guys and throw at a few Reds.

Pirates seem to be handling the situation better this series.

Meanwhile Yanks go meekly by 10 runs last night to the Red Sox at home with no evidence of seeming to care.....times they are a changin.

In this 3 game weekend series, ten different times a batter was hit-by-a pitch.

Pirates pitchers hit 6 Reds batters.

Reds pitchers hit 4 Pirates batters.

They may have lost the series 2 games to 1 ... but that was a victory. You can't back down when someone tries to bully you.

Especially when you're a franchise that has had a losing record every season during both the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama presidency.

The last time the Pirates had anything other than a losing season, George Herbert Walker Bush was president.

I love this team this year. The last two years, it felt like I was rooting for a handicapped child.

This years team is no handicapped child. They're much deeper, and way more talented in the bullpen. They've also showed a lot more of an edge this year.

How about the Dodgers wanting to go after Carlos Quentin?

Greinke plunked him, he charged the mound and broke Greinke's collarbone.
Now the Dodgers want revenge?
Didn't they learn their lesson last time?
guess they want another pitcher on the DL

It's becoming commonplace with the Pirates. Posey should get one in the next two days.

If they don't do something about yesterday, then it looks like they are going to be bullied by the Reds the rest of the way. Leake hits McCutchen early and in the ninth Chapman buzzes one up by Walker's head. What happened last year when Chapman hit McCutchen up high and nothing was done about it...can't happen again.

I agree. I'd like to see Joey Votto get drilled tonight.

I was reading how Doc Ellis pitched a game against the Reds. Pete Rose was the first batter of the game, he throw the first pitch at his head and missed. The 2nd pitch went behind him. He finally plunked him on the 3rd pitch.

Joe Morgan was up next. He plunked him.

The 3rd batter he faced, he plunked.

The 4th batter literally ran from the battors box when he released his pitch. He walked him on four pitches, two of them were sent to the backstop.

This is a great boxscore:

http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1974/B05010PIT1974.htm

4 batters faced, he hit 3 of them with a pitch, and walked the other.

We need that type of effort from our pitchers tonight. Pirates batters have been hit by a pitch a league most 40 times this year...and Neil Walker almost got his head taken off by Chapman, yesterday.

Morton hit Choo with the first pitch. It's about time.

Yeah it is...at least a message was sent this time. I think Doug is spot on...this is a totally different team, one with a lot more of an edge

Pretty funny to read about it: May Day - Dock Goes Redhunting

http://www.nonoadockumentary.com/mayday