Cubs, Astros benches clear as Barrett jaws with Oswalt

CHICAGO -- Both benches cleared briefly in the second inning of Friday's game between the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs when Cubs catcher Michael Barrett began jawing with Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, five days after Oswalt hit him in the back with a pitch.

No punches were thrown as plate umpire C.B. Bucknor intervened and steered the angry Barrett back away from Oswalt. The teams rushed out of their dugouts and lingered near home plate without incident for a minute or two.

Oswalt was ejected for hitting Barrett in Houston last Sunday following a three-run homer by Aramis Ramirez. Two innings later, Cubs starter Kerry Wood also was tossed for hitting Jeff Kent with a pitch after both benches had been warned.

With Wood on the mound Friday in another matchup with Oswalt, Barrett and Oswalt exchanged words when the Houston pitcher came to the plate to lead off the second with the Astros leading 4-2 in a game they eventually won 15-7.

After the brief altercation, Oswalt grounded out and the two again exchanged a few words after Barrett ran down the first-base line to back up the throw.

In the top of the sixth, Oswalt again came up as the leadoff hitter and was hit in the thigh by the first pitch from Cubs reliever Kent Mercker. Both benches stayed off the field this time as Bucknor warned Mercker and the two dugouts. Astros manager Phil Garner came out to talk to Bucknor.

"The truth of the matter is Wood has hit something like 11 Astros and Roy has only hit three (Cubs)," Garner said after the game. "I don't know what elementary school teaches you that kind of math but it sure doesn't add up in my viewpoint.

"We're not trying to say that we need to equate what Wood is doing. But I would say that if you're going to talk about squaring up or settling scores that they better take a look at those numbers before they start talking."

Cubs manager Dusty Baker had said before the game he didn't anticipate any repercussions from last Sunday's beanballs.

"Barrett had something he had to say to him," Baker said afterward. "He had some things on his mind and he said them."

Barrett said he hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Oswalt last Sunday so he took his opportunity in the second inning. "He came up that inning and I wanted to get it over with," Barrett said.

Besides last weekend, he accused Oswalt of hitting Jose Vidro in the head three years ago following Vidro's homer when he and Barrett were teammates on the Montreal Expos. Barrett said Oswalt also threw at the head of Cubs backup catcher Paul Bako when Bako got two hits off him.

"To hit someone intentionally, especially the way he did it, I think it's wrong," Barrett said.

Oswalt said Barrett overdid it by following him down to first base and continuing his remarks, but he said that fired him up and he pitched better.

"It doesn't bother me," he said of Barrett's headhunting complaints. "I'm trying to get outs. I'm not worried about what somebody thinks about me for sure. If you worry about that you shouldn't be out there."