RED SOX
Barnes suspended 4 games
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes has been suspended four games and fined for throwing a fastball past the head of Baltimore star Manny Machado.
The commissioner’s office issued the penalty Monday. The Red Sox are off and Barnes is appealing, meaning the reliever can continue to pitch until the process is done.
Barnes was ejected Sunday after sailing a fastball past Machado’s helmet at Baltimore. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in nine games this season.
On Friday night at Camden Yards, Machado made a late slide that injured Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
On Sunday, Machado batted in the sixth inning and dodged out of the way when Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez threw three pitches down and in around the knees. Machado came up again in the eighth and Barnes’ fastball whizzed behind his helmet.
TWINS
Sano out 1 game
NEW YORK — Minnesota’s Miguel Sano has been suspended for one game and fined by Major League Baseball for what the sport termed “aggressive actions” that caused benches to clear during a game against Detroit last weekend.
Detroit’s JaCoby Jones was hit in the face by a pitch from Justin Haley in the third inning of the Tigers’ 5-4 victory Saturday. Two innings later, Detroit’s Matthew Boyd threw behind Sano, who pointed his bat toward Boyd and yelled out at the mound. Tigers catcher James McCann (Arkansas Razorbacks) intervened and appeared to put his mitt in the face of Sano , who reacted immediately with a right hand to McCann’s mask.