Doyel: How is Cole not suspended when he started it?
Major League Baseball has announced a series of suspensions following Sunday afternoon's brawl between the Pirates and Brewers. Here's the list:
• Martin Maldonado, Brewers: five games
• Carlos Gomez, Brewers: three games
• Travis Snider: Pirates: two games
• Russell Martin, Pirates: one game
All four players were fined as well.
The brawl started when Gerrit Cole started chirping at Gomez after he flipped his bat on a fly ball triple. Cole was not suspended because he didn't throw any punches. Maldonado appeared to land the best shot in the skirmish, a punch that left Snider with a black eye but no other injuries.
Gomez, 28, is hitting .313/.371/.613 with five home runs in 20 games this year, so losing him for even three games is a big blow to the Brewers. The 27-year-old Maldonado has gone 4-for-12 (.333) in four games as the team's backup catcher.
Snider, 26, has hit .250/.311/.411 with three homers in 18 games this season. Martin has hit .263/.348/.386 with two homers on the year. The 31-year-old did not play in Sunday's game but came off the bench during the brawl.
All of the suspensions are effective immediately unless the player files an appeal. Gomez, Martin and Snider are appealing and can play in the meantime, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
