Royals notebook: Olivo, Greinke suspended for five games
By TEREZ A. PAYLOR
The Kansas City Star
There was no doubt that suspensions were coming from the commissioner’s office after Sunday’s brawl between the Royals and Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
But when the rulings came down Tuesday, Royals catcher Miguel Olivo admitted he was more than a little surprised. He and pitcher Zack Greinke each received five-game suspensions and fines, while Royals manager Trey Hillman received a one-game suspension and an unspecified fine.
“I knew I was going to get suspended, but not five games,” said Olivo, who was fined $2,000. “Maybe two or three games — but five games, that’s a lot.”
The brawl occurred Sunday in the fifth inning of the Royals’ 14-3 victory. Olivo charged the mound after being hit by a third straight inside pitch from D.J. Carrasco.
Olivo and Carrasco were ejected from the game. Guillen, who received a two-game suspension and an unspecified fine, was ejected for arguing the decision to eject Carrasco, who was neither fined nor suspended.
“I was mad because he threw at me three straight times,” Olivo said. “But the people at Major League Baseball have to realize that I stopped (before reaching the mound). I didn’t want to hurt him.”
Greinke admitted some initial surprise, too. Both benches were warned in the fifth inning to cease further confrontation, and Greinke and Hillman were kicked out in the seventh inning after Greinke hit Nick Swisher.
“I knew that (Baltimore’s) Daniel Cabrera recently got six games — I would have thought I would get less than him,” said Greinke, who was fined $1,500. “But I talked to some people today, and they said that five was about normal.”
Royals general manager Dayton Moore wasn’t surprised at the rulings.
“It’s really not unexpected,” Moore said. “When you charge the mound, there are going to be suspensions and fines. When warnings are issued, and you hit someone else, it’s really automatic. There’s no debating it.”
Greinke and Olivo announced their intentions to appeal the rulings, which allows them to remain on the active roster until their appeals are held.
Appeal hearings are likely to take place later this month when the Royals play in New York.
Hillman declined to comment, other than to say he would serve the suspension Tuesday because there is no appeal process for managers.
“I could tell you a lot about what I think about it,” Hillman said of his suspension. “But I’ll adhere to Major League Baseball’s rules and regulations.”
Interesting play
One play that had the stadium buzzing came in the seventh inning, when Boston’s Jason Bay hit a long fly ball to left center. Royals center fielder Mitch Maier timed his leap perfectly, but the ball popped out of his glove and rolled along the top of the wall before Ross Gload retrieved it and threw it back toward the infield.
Umpires ruled the play a double, and Bay got his second RBI.
Bannister still struggling
Brian Bannister’s recent dry spell continues. Bannister, who allowed three runs in four innings and took the loss on Tuesday, hasn’t won since June 23. In his seven starts since then, he is 0-4 with three no-decisions.
Bale’s rough outing
Left-hander John Bale’s latest rehab appearance at Class AAA Omaha didn’t go too well.
Bale was scheduled to throw the first two innings against Colorado Springs on Monday. But after a 1-2-3 first, he allowed five runs and three hits in the second and was pulled with two outs.
In Omaha, he is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 innings.
The Star’s Bob Dutton contributed to this story To reach Terez A. Paylor, send e-mail to tpaylor@kcstar.com
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