MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
The Nationals and Diamondbacks have been trading hit-by-pitches all weekend, and on the final day of the four-game series, things have escalated. Ian Kennedy hit Jayson Werth with a pitch in the fifth inning, and Werth - who got hit for the third time in the series - flipped his bat pointedly while staring at Kennedy on his way to first base, before home plate umpire Rob Drake escorted him to first base and warned both teams.
Pitcher Jason Marquis hadn't hit anybody in the game, but when he drilled Justin Upton in the back in the sixth inning, Drake decided he'd seen enough. He ejected Marquis, who angrily pointed at the scoreboard to indicate he wasn't going to hit a player on purpose in a 1-0 game. And by rule, manager Jim Riggleman was also tossed.
Marquis might not have been trying to hit Upton, but it was a bad time for a pitch to get away from him - Upton and Werth have been the two hitters in this series whose plate appearances have earned more scrutiny than anyone else, because of the number of times they've been hit. Tyler Clippard finished the inning, stranding two runners with a pair of strikeouts, but the Nationals will have to finish this game with their bullpen earlier than they would have preferred to do; Marquis had only thrown 73 pitches.
It's 1-0 Nationals headed into the seventh. They'll have to hope their bullpen can salvage a series split.
