SF Giants Press Clips Tuesday, May 29, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle Giants fall to Nationals; Hunter Strickland, Bryce Harper brawl Henry Schulman Hunter Strickland recited the standard line. He tried to throw inside to Bryce Harper and got the ball too far in. Pitchers have to say that after they drill someone because admitting intent would mean a longer suspension and a bigger fine. So let’s get it out of the way: After Strickland hit Harper with a first-pitch fastball in the eighth inning of the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the Nationals on Monday, setting off a ferocious fight between the two, Strickland said, “Obviously, I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple of times on him and he’s taken advantage of that. Just going inside, and obviously I got it in too far.” Now, reality. Strickland had faced 541 hitters in his career and hit just four. With a fastball into Harper’s hip, Strickland seemed to be settling a score from the 2014 Division Series. Harper hit a Game 1 homer off Strickland, who defiantly said he would not be afraid to throw him another fastball in the series. Strickland did in Game 4, and Harper sent the ball into McCovey Cove. Harper admired his shot and then hollered at the pitcher all the way around the bases and from the dugout. They had not faced one another again until Monday. Shortly after the teams stood on the field for a moment of silence to honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, Harper charged the mound after he wore the first-pitch fastball from Strickland. In the ensuing fight, after Harper tried to throw his helmet at Strickland but missed, each landed a slap to the other’s head. The benches emptied and Strickland had to be dragged into the dugout by teammates Mac Williamson, George Kontos and Hunter Pence — and not easily. “It was quite a pile,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re probably lucky that nobody on either side got hurt.”

Some consequences were immediate. Harper and Strickland were ejected, Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija had to take physical inventory after they banged heads while running from opposite directions trying to get between the combatants, and Harper’s pinch-runner scored Washington’s third run, putting the game even more out of reach. Some consequences will be longer- lasting. Strickland is sure to be suspended (along with Harper). Buster Posey will have to fend off criticism for not trying to stop Harper’s charge to the mound and wonder if he will get drilled in retaliation. Pence, who’s on the disabled list , might face a suspension for running into the fray as a nonactive player. Bochy called the incident “unfortunate” and admitted, “It looks bad. No doubt it does.” Harper could not understand it, particularly because the Giants won the Division Series on their way to a World Series championship. “It’s so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore,” Harper said. “They won the World Series that year. I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night.” Harper did say he respected Strickland for hitting him low, not near his head, but Harper’s teammates were not as forgiving. “I thought it was completely uncalled for,” second baseman Daniel Murphy said. “Harper hits one into the cove in a big spot off him … and then Hunter waits three years to get him. If the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season.” Although Strickland denied intent, he did not apologize for fighting Harper, saying that when he saw the 2015 NL MVP coming at him, “It’s go time. You’ve got to protect yourself and stand your own ground. I was pretty fired up, to be honest with you. It was just adrenaline.” Washington manager Dusty Baker had no issue with Harper charging the mound at risk of a suspension either, saying, “What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag.” Strickland found himself in private conversations after the game, including one with Bochy, who told reporters, “We don’t do things from what I ordinarily want us to do. We’re trying to win ballgames. I needed to talk to him and make sure we’re straight with some things.” Posey said his recent concussions did not play into his decision to stay out of the fray, but said, “Those were some big guys tumbling around. Morse was in there. As big as he is, he was getting knocked around like a pinball.” When the teams retreated to their dugouts, the Nationals finished a victory over Matt Moore, who held the majors’ best offense to two runs in seven innings but lost because the Giants were blanked by Tanner Roark (seven innings) and three relievers. The Giants loaded the bases in the eighth, their best shot to get even, but Shawn Kelley got Justin Ruggiano to fly to left for the third out.

San Francisco Chronicle Eduardo Nuñez sits out after inadvertent shot to head Henry Schulman Even when the Giants score a run, they cannot win. Eduardo Nuñez, the team’s hottest hitter, sat Monday and was being evaluated for a concussion after he was hit in the helmet by a ball and inadvertently smacked in the head by Atlanta pitcher R.A. Dickey while scoring the first run in Sunday’s 7-1 Giants victory. Nuñez has blurred vision that he said had improved since Sunday but was not resolved. “We’ll see how I’m feeling tomorrow,” Nuñez said. “Hopefully, it’s not a concussion.” Nuñez dived headfirst to score on a Kurt Suzuki passed ball. Suzuki retrieved the ball and threw to Dickey covering the plate. Nuñez said the ball to the helmet did not jar him, but a shot to the jaw from Dickey’s glove did. The Giants summoned utilityman Orlando Calixte from Triple-A Sacramento to replace Nuñez if he went on the disabled list Monday, but the club made no move after a concussion test was inconclusive. Nuñez might have been spared more serious injury because clubhouse manager Brad Grems added padding to his helmet, which usually flies off. This time, it stayed on. “First time,” Nuñez said, smiling. Christian Arroyo replaced Nuñez in the lineup and hit a third-inning double to end an 0-for-21 skid. Calixte staying? Manager Bruce Bochy suggested Calixte might be added to the roster soon even if Nuñez stays off the DL. Calixte can play every position other than pitcher and catcher and was hitting .287 with eight homers for Sacramento. Calixte overcame a May 16 concussion caused by slamming his head into the wall trying to catch a homer in Oklahoma City. On deck Tuesday vs. Nationals 7:15 p.m. NBCSBA ESPN Gonzalez (3-1) vs. Samardzija (1-6) Wednesday vs. Nationals

7:15 p.m. Channel: 11 Scherzer (5-3) vs. Cain (3-3) Thursday Off Leading off Honoring 24: ESPN’s telecast of Tuesday night’s game, available in the San Francisco market, will include tributes to and an interview with Willie Mays. San Francisco Chronicle SF Giants turn to brain-training headsets to help players improve Benny Evangelista Baseball legend Yogi Berra once observed, in his own inimitable way, that “90 percent of this game is half mental.” Now the San Francisco Giants are employing high-tech brain-training headgear hoping to help players with that other half. The Giants are using the Halo Sport, a headphone-like device that shoots low-voltage electrical signals into the part of the brain that stimulates motor control, to help train major- and minor-league players. Although track stars, pianists and Navy SEALs also use the devices to train, not everyone is sold on the technology. A UCSF neuroscience expert believes more tests are needed to uncover potential side effects, while a Golden State Warriors trainer said her players have already dismissed the devices as “flash-in-the-pan” “gizmos.” Meanwhile, the Giants on-field records have regressed. As the baseball season turned past the Memorial Day mile post, every team in the Giants system languished at or near the bottom of their divisions. But the devices have made a believer out of Tyler Beede, the team’s top minor-league pitching prospect with the Sacramento River Cats. Beede said he was initially skeptical, but uses the headset twice a week as part of his workout routine to improve the consistency of his pitching mechanics. “I can feel a difference, I can see a difference statistically,” Beede said in a phone interview. “It’s certainly helped improve my focus.” The Giants are the first pro sports team to publicly partner with Halo Neuroscience, located near AT&T Park. Brett Wingeier, co-founder and chief technology officer, said the startup is working with teams in several sports, but can’t disclose which ones because of confidentially agreements. However, in an ESPN video report in March, New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes showed a reporter how he trains while wearing a Halo Sport.

The company’s technology relies on transcranial direct current stimulation, which uses low-level electricity to enhance the brain’s natural ability to build neural connections to learn and retain skills. Halo concentrates on the part of the brain that controls motor skills, so the company markets to athletes and high-level sports enthusiasts. Halo signed a multiyear agreement with the Giants and took out a full-page ad in Giants Magazine to promote the $749 headgear, which from a distance looks like an ordinary pair of Beats by Dre headphones. Instead of delivering music, the headband sends electric signals through hard foam spikes through the skull into the motor cortex area at the top of the brain. Athletes are told to wear the Halos for 20 minutes while warming up, which starts what the company calls a neural priming session. “It feels like ants crawling on your head,” said Geoff Head, the team’s sports scientist and strength and conditioning coordinator. Then the athlete removes the headset, leaving the brain better able to learn and retain muscle movements for the next 60 minutes of workouts, the company says. Beede, who described the sensation as “a tingling, numbing sensation,” said he’s better able to retain what he learns in practice and repeat those movements later on the mound. Beede knows the tech alone won’t turn him into a 20-game winner, but believes even a “1 percent edge in getting better” could make a difference in his career. And he said other River Cats teammates are “starting to believe in it more and more.” He noted that athletes in all sports, particularly baseball, all seek that “unconscious trust in our abilities” to “let everything happen athletically” during games without having to think too much. That’s the mental part of the game Berra, the Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher, tried to describe. The Giants organization has purchased Halos for five of its six minor-league affiliates, and has made them available for the big-league players, Head said. Head said he was highly skeptical when Giants Senior Vice President Bill Schlough suggested he look at Halo. Tech companies are always pitching health or training products to the Giants, but players call them “hocus-pocus, snake oil or voodoo,” Head said. Then Head conducted his own tests on 20 top minor-league prospects during an off-season conditioning camp in early 2016, randomly alternating working and nonworking Halos to rule out placebo effects. Head was surprised to see that the test group showed significant gains, especially in mobility and speed drills. “I did not expect it to be as good,” Head said. “I was, in the back of my mind, hopeful that it was another tech company we could cross off the list.” He also validated the technology through some of his personal contacts with the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Naval Special Warfare Command, which is using them to train elite Navy SEALs.

The Giants are not forcing players to use Halos, offering them as an option, Head said. Only a few major-league players have tried them, but Head declined to disclose their names because he didn’t “want to scare the deer out of the woods. Baseball is a very traditional, old-school sport, rooted in daily routines, and you don’t want to deviate from that.” Outfielder Justin Ruggiano, a nine-year veteran now with his eighth team, told The Chronicle’s John Shea that he tried Halo once or twice during spring training, but no longer uses the device. Head believes younger players, part of a generation that “always had iPhones and iPads,” will be more willing to try and the results will show in future seasons. “Over the next few years, you’ll start to see the full team start to take advantage of it because some of the older veterans will have moved on and for some of the younger players that are using this stuff in the minor leagues right now, it will already be a part of their routine,” Head said. Not everyone is a believer. In March 2016, backup Warriors forward James Michael McAdoo tweeted a photo of himself wearing a pair while working out. “Thanks to @HaloNeuro for letting me and my teammates try these out!” he tweeted. “Looking forward to seeing the results.” But Halos played no role in the Warriors third straight trip to the NBA Finals this year. “The Halo gizmos were a very quick flash in the pan that a couple of the guys wore once or twice,” Chelsea Lane, the team’s head performance therapist, said in an email. And Theodore Zanto, UCSF’s neuroscience program director, said that while the science behind transcranial direct current stimulation is sound, there is not enough research available on the long-term benefits or on potential side effects. “If you improve one motor skill, are you hurting another?” Zanto said. “It’s unclear. People don’t typically test for the negative side effects.” The Giants, however, could become that long-term testing ground. “In the end, how are we going to know if it works or not unless we do it?” Zanto said. “There’s not enough scientists out there and not enough funding to do these long-term studies,” he said. “I’m not going to tell people not to buy it,” he said. “Maybe all of my cautionary tales are unfounded and there’s nothing to worry about. If they believe in it, then maybe that’s all they need.” San Jose Mercury News Giants, Nationals react to the Bryce Harper-Hunter Strickland fight Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s what the players and managers said after Bryce Harper charged Hunter Strickland in the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals on Monday. Hunter Strickland What was your intent?

“To go inside. Obviously I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple times to him and he’s taken advantage of it. So just mostly go inside and obviously I got it inside a little too far.” What was your reaction as he charged? “I didn’t know and I didn’t expect that. But it’s part of the game and it’s what he decided to do.” Do you understand how the optics are bad, given the two home runs you allowed in 2014 and the back and forth after that? “Yeah, I can see how that kind of stands in peoples’ minds. But that’s the past. Like I said, I left the ball over the plate to him a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. So obviously I’d rather miss in than over the plate.” How do your instincts take over as he’s charging? “It’s go time. I mean, it’s just, you’ve got to protect yourself and stand your own ground, you know?” What do you expect in the way of discipline? “I’m not sure how all that goes. That’s their decision. Obviously I’ll take whatever consequences come with it and we’ll go from there.” Why did they have to drag you off the field? “I was pretty fired up to be honest with you, but it’s just adrenaline and it’s part of the game.” If there was no intent to hit him, will you apologize? “I think we’ll just kind of leave it as it is and if need be we’ll go from there. But as of right now, it’s be ready to play tomorrow.” Did you come out of that all right? “I feel great. Yeah. No, I’m 100 percent.” Bryce Harper Were you expecting this? “Not in that situation. Especially since it’s been three years. They won the World Series that year. I wasn’t really thinking about it at all. When someone comes at you like that, and throws a 98 mile per hour fastball where he did, I wasn’t very happy with it. I just took it into my hands a bit, and tried to go after him.” Why did you feel the need to take care of it yourself?

“I don’t want to go on a baseball field and try to fight somebody. Especially when it’s somebody that it’s in the past. It’s so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don’t know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens. “ Did you think about the likelihood of getting suspended by charging the mound? “I mean a baseball’s a weapon, and being able to use that to his advantage, that’s just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go and get him. You can’t hesitate. You either go to first base or go after him. I decided to go after him. What were you doing with your helmet? “I was just trying to go after him with the helmet or just myself. I was just trying to do what I needed to do to keep it going, I guess. I don’t know. In that situation, you see red. You just try to do the best you can and get out of there and not get crushed by one of their teammates coming in.” Have you ever been more certain you were thrown at? “Nah, I mean that’s probably the first time I was certain that somebody was going to try to throw at me. I wasn’t going up there thinking about it, but after he did it, I was like OK, that was intentional. I did what I had to do, I guess. “ Do you want to see baseball step in to change these situations? “One thing I gotta say about Strickland. He hit me in the right spot. I do respect him for that. He didn’t come up and in in the face or anything like that which some guys do. I respect him on that level. He could have come up and in and got me somewhere you don’t want to get hit in. But he got me in the hip and things like that, but there’s some times when it’s just not relevant. “That was a spot where it’s just not relevant. That was three years ago, a thousand days I guess you could say. I don’t know why he’s thinking about it. He’s got a World Series ring. It’s on his finger. He can look at it every single night he wants to. There’s nothing to be thinking about the first round for, because we were out and they were playing Kansas City in the World Series.” Were you surprised it took so long before others intervened? “I think they were shocked. I think as a team, the Giants might have been shocked a little bit. My head was on a swivel as quick as I could to not get taken out by someone on their team or something like that. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I think they were definitely shocked at the situation and the fact that he would do something like that three years later.” Are you good? “I’m fine. I’m OK. I have a scratch on my arm, that’s about it. I think it’s actually from Rendon coming in and grabbing me. But yeah, I mean I’m fine. I feel fine.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy Did anyone get hurt? “Right now as far as I know they all came out of it fine. It’s unfortunate, an incident like that. And it looks bad, it does. There’s no question about that. Harper gets hit and you’re looking at a guy who’s given up some home runs. He’ll tell you he was trying to come in. He didn’t want to make a mistake there. And it looks bad. So you’ve got two guys who probably don’t care for each other much. So it’s unfortunate. It really is. And it was a pretty good pile. So we’re probably lucky somebody on either side didn’t get hurt in that situation.” Did you talk to Strickland? “I have yeah just briefly, between checking on him and asking him about the situation, because we play … we’re trying to win a ballgame. It’s 2-nothing and I had to talk to him, obviously. We don’t do things out of the ordinary or from what I want. We go out there and try to win a ballgame. It’s a situation where I needed to talk to him and make sure we’re straight with something, so we did talk.” What do you expect in terms of discipline? “I don’t know. Who knows? It doesn’t look good, a guy gets hit. But also on their side, Harper is throwing his helmet. Strick is standing his ground. He’s got no choice there. So I can’t tell you what’s going to happen.” “You know, what I think got lost in all this is I thought Moore pitched a nice ballgame against a tough lineup. He gave us a chance and we just couldn’t do much with their starter. It’s tough when you lose and get a quality start like we did. “It’s a 2-0 game, and that cost us a run too, by the way. So we’re down three and had the bases loaded (in the bottom of the eighth). A base hit could’ve scored two and so that could have played a huge role in this game. It could have but it didn’t. Nationals manager Dusty Baker What was your take on what happened? “We were ahead 2-0, two outs, nobody on base, that’s a prime time to hit somebody if you’re going to hit him. It looked like it was intentional to me. What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag. If he’s human with emotions, I know he took him deep in the playoffs a couple times, he probably took exception to that. Baseball is a game where you don’t forget, and you can hold grudges for a long, long time. That was my take.” What are you trying to do when you go on the field? “My first reaction is I can’t get there as quickly as I used to. My second reaction was I didn’t want to get anybody stepped on or anybody hurt. Tempers were quite high. I think the umpires did a great job of breaking it up and not tossing anybody more than the pitcher and Bryce. That was my first reaction, was

for nobody to get hurt. I’ve seen those incidents turn into an ugly brawl. I think their bench over there, their coaching staff and our coaching staff did a good job of trying to break it up.” Did you know the history from the 2014 NLDS? “No. I wasn’t here. I watched it on TV. It was a long time ago. But like I said, baseball you can hold grudges for a long time. I even have a couple I’ve been carrying for years. It happens.” Are you concerned about a suspension for Harper? “I don’t know. Like I said, what’s a man supposed to do? That clearly wasn’t going inside. That’s throwing at a spot where you can’t get out of the way. If anybody should get suspended, I think it should be their pitcher should get suspended, not ours. Ours was reacting to being hit.” Giants catcher Buster Posey What was Strickland’s intent? To go in? “That was the pitch, a fastball in.” Why didn’t you try to stop Harper from charging the mound? “Well, after it happened I kind of saw Harper point and the next thing you know he’s going out after him. There’s some big guys tumbling around on the ground. You see Mike Morse is as big as they come and he’s getting knocked around like a pinball. It’d be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.” Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy Reaction? “Completely uncalled for. Harper hits one in the Cove in a big spot off him, from what I understand. I think I remember seeing it live. And then Hunter waits three years to get him. If the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season. So he waits three years to get him? Completely uncalled for.” What do you as teammate? you don’t have anybody coming in from the back of the pile, or get guys that are in the pile out of there. The thing about it is, it’s almost like hockey where you can let two guys go after it and fight out their beef. And then hopefully in things like that, you cannot get anybody hurt and lose them. That’s the thing about it: Because one guy wants to take a shot at a guy, you put 50 guys at risk. I think you can see from the way their teammates reacted, that was him taking a shot on his own. It’s unfortunate that’s what happened.” Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth Reaction?

“I don’t know how many of those I’ve been in. I’ve seen quite a few. I’ve been the main character in quite a few of them. I’ve been a first responder. But you’re just going out there to either help out your teammate or fight somebody on the other team. It just depends on who you run into and how it goes. I think it’s probably all over at this point. No sense re-hashing anything. It’s just part of the game.” Did it cross your mind in the last three years that something like this might happen? “Well, you can’t assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do. History is history. Some people hold it in higher regard than others. Those thoughts always linger in the back of your mind, but I don’t know, I didn’t really have much to do with it. But at the same time, I think I was probably thinking along the same lines that something could happen. And in this game, it usually does. I think I ended up being the first one on the scene. So I may or may not have been ready for the whole thing.” San Jose Mercury News All-out brawl: Nationals’ Bryce Harper, Giants’ Hunter Strickland turn an old feud into a fistfight Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO – Bryce Harper, his hip smarting from where he had absorbed Hunter Strickland’s fastball, glowered at the pitcher and pointed his bat. He took two steps, then a third, before charging the mound. He tried to fling his helmet but it slipped from his grasp and tumbled away like a grounder to second base. Then came an exchange of artlessly missed punches, an open-handed slap to Harper’s face and a fist that mostly mashed the bill of Strickland’s hat. Only then, after the confrontation had swelled and the two combatants had been separated by the first wave off the bench and enough long hair flowed to film a Prell commercial, did catcher Buster Posey move from behind the plate. There is little sense in risking an injury for someone’s vendetta. “There’s some big guys tumbling around on the ground,” said Posey, after the eighth-inning brawl enlivened the Giants’ 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park on Monday. “Mike Morse is as big as they come and he’s getting knocked around like a pinball. It’d be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.” There are times when a fight will bring a team together. This was not one of those fights. This looked every bit like a three-year-old ego bruise that hadn’t healed, and four dozen teammates who tried their best to avoid getting blindsided while trying to make peace. Strickland’s first-pitch fastball plunked Harper with two outs, the bases empty and the Giants down by two runs in the eighth. Asked his intent, the right-hander’s remarks leapt straight off the script. “To go inside,” Strickland said. “Obviously I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple times to him and he’s taken advantage of it.” Obviously. The baseball season is long. The memories of baseball players are longer. Strickland was facing Harper for the first time since the 2014 NL Division Series, when Harper hit two long home runs against him, and the on-field fireworks this time came in a new batch of colors.

Harper said he didn’t intend to fight anyone, especially over something that was “so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year.” “That was three years ago, a thousand days I guess you could say,” Harper continued. “I don’t know why he’s thinking about it. He’s got a World Series ring. It’s on his finger. He can look at it every single night he wants to. There’s (no reason) to be thinking about the first round, because we were out and they were playing Kansas City in the World Series.” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Strickland should face harsher discipline than Harper. “What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag,” Baker said. “Most teams I’ve had we don’t start anything, but we don’t take nothing.” Giants manager Bruce Bochy made little effort to defend his pitcher. “It looks bad, it does,” Bochy said. “There’s no question about that. … He’ll tell you he was trying to come in. He didn’t want to make a mistake there. And it looks bad. So you’ve got two guys who probably don’t care for each other much. So it’s unfortunate. It really is.” Bochy said he talked to Strickland after the game, essentially to tell him that the only score he cares about settling is on the scoreboard. The manager expressed annoyance that the plunking set up the Nationals’ third run, too. “We don’t do things out of the ordinary or from what I want,” Bochy said. “We go out there and try to win a ballgame. It’s a situation where I needed to talk to him and make sure we’re straight with something, so we did talk.” Harper and Strickland were ejected; both are likely to receive fines and suspensions. Aside from a scratch on Harper’s arm from being pulled away by teammate Ryan Zimmerman, neither man had any marks or injuries. The Giants were fortunate that Morse and pitcher Jeff Samardzija both said they were fine; they were first to get in between the two combatants — Morse coming from first base, Samardzija coming from the Giants dugout — and their heads forcefully collided. Strickland said he did not expect Harper to charge the mound, but once he did, “It’s go time. I mean, it’s just, you’ve got to protect yourself and stand your own ground, you know?” It took three Giants players — George Kontos, Mac Williamson and Hunter Pence –to drag Strickland all the way off the field and into the dugout. Strickland struggled to get free the entire time. Pence is on the disabled list, so he might be subject to disciplinary action for taking the field in a brawl – even in a peacemaker role. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who is also on the DL, appeared forlorn as he turned his back and remained in the dugout while his teammates jumped the rail. It was the first time that Strickland faced Harper since the Nationals star twice took him deep in a 2014 playoff series that the Giants won in four games. Strickland had stared at Harper as he rounded the bases, and Harper had yelled at him from the dugout.

Strickland also angered the Kansas City Royals for yelling at them in the World Series that October; he later apologized for losing his temper and called it a learning experience. He said he understood why the optics didn’t look good Monday. “Yeah, I can see how that kind of stands in peoples’ minds,” Strickland said. “But that’s the past. Like I said, I left the ball over the plate to him a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. So obviously, I’d rather miss in than over the plate.” Posey, asked about the pitch, confirmed the sparest of details: “That was the pitch, a fastball in.” Harper actually said he respected Strickland a bit more because he did not headhunt. That is where things stood after one of the oddest and least enthusiastic melees in major league history. “That’s the thing about it: Because one guy wants to take a shot at a guy, you put 50 guys at risk,” Nationals catcher Matt Wieters said. “I think you can see from the way their teammates reacted, that was him taking a shot on his own. It’s unfortunate that’s what happened.” Their brawl in the eighth inning came amid an otherwise uneventful 3-0 loss in which Matt Moore had some of his best offspeed command this season while limiting the NL’s most potent lineup to two runs in seven innings. Yet the Giants’ NL-worst offense failed to score against right-hander Tanner Roark. Zimmerman hit a home run in the second inning and Daniel Murphy hit an RBI double off the bricks in the sixth. “You know, what I think got lost in all this is I thought Moore pitched a nice ballgame against a tough lineup,” Bochy said. San Jose Mercury News Giants notes: How a clubhouse manager’s thoughtfulness might have saved Eduardo Nuñez from serious injury Andrew Baggarly SAN FRANCISCO – Orlando Calixte received his first major league call-up on Monday. Sort of. The Giants called up Calixte, but they were delaying a decision on whether to activate him prior to Monday afternoon’s game against the Washington Nationals. That’s because they were continuing to evaluate Eduardo Nuñez, who took a shot to the head while scoring on a passed ball Sunday. Nuñez had blurred vision but remained in the game. He felt a bit worse when he woke up, manager Bruce Bochy said. Nuñez isn’t available to play Monday, and if he avoids the DL, then Calixte would not be activated today. But interestingly, Bochy did not rule out the club activating Calixte in the near future as part of another roster move.

With Nuñez out, third baseman Christian Arroyo returns to the lineup as he tries to shake out of an 0-for-21 slump. He’s batting .115 over 52 at-bats in his last 14 games. Calixte, 25, has the flexibility to replace either an infielder or an outfielder on the roster. And his ability to play center field ultimately could prove to be huge for a club that hasn’t gotten much out of Gorkys Hernandez on days when Denard Span is off or unavailable because of injury. Calixte recently returning from his own forced timeout because of concussion symptoms. He crashed into the wall while trying to catch a home run at Oklahoma City two weeks ago. Just three days before the injury, he went 5 for 6 with a pair of home runs at Colorado Springs. He returned on Wednesday and promptly went 9 for 18 with two home runs over his first four games. “He’s played a good center field and he’s played everywhere,” Bochy said. “He’s done a good job wherever they put him. He’s a type of guy you can do a lot of things with.” The Giants signed Calixte as a minor league free agent after he spent six years in the Kansas City Royals system, and there was enough interest from other clubs that they immediately put him on the 40-man roster. — Nuñez wasn’t sure which impact made him see stars, but it probably wasn’t the throw to the plate that hit him on the helmet. He said he felt like he got hit in the jaw, either by making contact with the ground of R.A. Dickey’s attempted tag. In any event, it could’ve been a lot worse if Nuñez’s helmet had flown off his head, as it often does. Just last week, clubhouse manager Brad Grems was talking to a couple reporters who joked about Nuñez’s helmet always flying off. For Grems, it was a serious matter. He was concerned that Nuñez was being put at injury risk of a thrown ball or contact with an infielder’s knee as he slid into bases. It wasn’t a sizing issue. Nuñez just has an odd shaped head. So Grems was working on ways to alter the helmet to keep it secure. He added extra padding to it prior to the Braves series. Just shows you: an organization needs thoughtful and determined people in every role to contribute to its success. Grems didn’t laugh along with everyone else. He took action to address what he saw as an injury risk, and might have saved Nuñez from a more serious injury. — Jarrett Parker took batting practice on the field as he continues to ramp up his activities after missing six weeks because of a broken collarbone. Parker is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment by next weekend. Hunter Pence (hamstring) remains on pace to start a rehab assignment later this week. —

The Nationals had to sleep fast. They played a home game against the Padres on Sunday and then traveled cross-country. They really should start these holiday games at 3 p.m. or something. Lord knows the Giants have been on the other end enough times. Maybe Matt Moore can catch the Nats still napping and it’ll work to the Giants’ benefit this time. MLB.com First update for NL All-Star voting unveiled Doug Miller For the first time this year, the fans have spoken. With Memorial Day weekend in the rearview mirror, it's time to talk about summer, and, to be more specific when it comes to naming the best players in Major League Baseball for the first half of the 2017 season, midsummer. The 88th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard is set for July 11, and it will be played at Marlins Park in Miami for the first time. On Tuesday morning, the first update from the fan voting in the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot arrived, and participants can see their work in the form of the National League leaders. The first American League voting update will be released on Wednesday. • VOTE NOW for #ASGWorthy players It's not surprising to see dynamic Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper as the overall voting leader for the NL, but there are a few surprises along the way in the initial update. Here are the results: CATCHER 1. Buster Posey, Giants: 559,428 votes 2. Willson Contreras, Cubs: 355,289 3. Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 303,857 4. Matt Wieters, Nationals: 177,957 5. Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers: 127,844 Posey, a three-time World Series champion and one-time NL Most Valuable Player, is always a popular choice, as is perennial Gold Glover Molina, who also happens to own a couple of World Series rings of his own. But Posey has also up a .963 OPS (entering play on Tuesday) with seven home runs. Contreras has fared well as the Cubs' everyday backstop, and he's the co-leader, along with Grandal, in RBIs among NL catchers with 23. Wieters has been solid in his first foray in the NL, swatting four homers and driving in 17 for the Nationals. FIRST BASE 1. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs: 452,620 2. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: 359,055 3. Freddie Freeman, Braves: 286,389 4. Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs: 205,828 5. Eric Thames, Brewers: 170,244 Rizzo is off to a slow start in batting average (.235), but he's got 12 homers and 30 RBIs, an OPS of .835, and the defending World Series-champion Cubs have a fan base that continues to flock to the online

ballots and support their favorite players. Meanwhile, Zimmerman's incredible rebound year (1.120 OPS, 14 homers, 40 RBIs) has deservingly resounded loudly with fans. The only thing that can stop Freeman, apparently, is the May 18 left wrist fracture that will have him sidelined for up to two months. Freeman had posted a .341/.461/.748 slash line with 14 homers and 25 RBIs at the time of his injury. Goldschmidt is getting his usual love for his usual consistency (11 homers, .998 OPS) and Thames' unexpected April heroics have resonated in lots of votes. SECOND BASE 1. Daniel Murphy, Nationals: 669,643 2. Javier Baez, Cubs: 474,119 3. Brandon Phillips, Braves: 126,404 4. Kolten Wong, Cardinals: 118,416 5. DJ LeMahieu, Rockies: 113,889 Murphy's offensive dominance at the position continues. After an MVP-caliber 2016, he keeps raking, as evidenced by nine homers, 35 RBIs and a .929 OPS. Baez has eight homers and provides highlight-reel defense, as much of America learned last October, and Phillips seems to be enjoying his new team in Atlanta. He's hitting .301. Wong is chipping in to the Cardinals' attack with a .378 on-base percentage and .792 OPS, and LeMahieu, last year's NL batting title champ and a Gold Glove winner, has a .354 OBP to help pace the first-place Rockies' attack. THIRD BASE 1. Kris Bryant, Cubs: 632,900 2. Nolan Arenado, Rockies: 392,051 3. Justin Turner, Dodgers: 220,029 4. Jedd Gyorko, Cardinals: 182,950 5. Anthony Rendon, Nationals: 137,767 Bryant is the reigning NL MVP, has Cubs Nation firmly behind him, and has a .930 OPS, 11 homers and 23 RBIs. Arenado is a Gold Glover at the hot corner with a .913 OPS, 12 homers and 34 RBIs. A recent right hamstring injury has derailed the consistent Turner, who was batting .379 when he got hurt. Gyorko (.927 OPS, eight homers) has been brilliant for St. Louis, and Rendon (.910 OPS, nine homers, 32 RBIs) is off to a great start. SHORTSTOP 1. Corey Seager, Dodgers: 399,347 2. Addison Russell, Cubs: 379,640 3. Zack Cozart, Reds: 264,516 4. Chris Owings, D-backs: 219,287 5. Trea Turner, Nationals: 180,184 Seager finished third in the NL MVP voting in 2016, and he's done nothing to slow down this year. He is second among NL shortstops with seven homers, has driven in 24 runs and has an OPS of .856. Russell's 19 RBIs have been a bright spot for the Cubs, and Cozart's blistering start to 2017 (.344/.422/.569, five homers, 25 RBIs) has him squarely on the All-Star radar. Owings (.841 OPS, six

homers, 27 RBIs) is in the midst of a breakout offensive season, and Turner has five homers and 23 RBIs and hasn't even gotten hot yet. OUTFIELD 1. Bryce Harper, Nationals: 900,079 2. Charlie Blackmon, Rockies: 520,479 3. Jason Heyward, Cubs: 344,166 4. Ben Zobrist, Cubs: 327,231 5. Kyle Schwarber, Cubs: 305,449 6. Matt Kemp, Braves: 284,420 7. Marcell Ozuna, Marlins: 255,945 8. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins: 232,329 9. Yoenis Cespedes, Mets: 229,401 10. Jay Bruce, Mets: 180,970 11. Dexter Fowler, Cardinals: 180,888 12. Ryan Braun, Brewers: 143,587 13. Jayson Werth, Nationals: 127,511 14. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers: 125,149 15. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies: 117,944 Harper is healthy and hammering the ball once again. The charismatic Nationals star has posted a .331/.443/.663 slash line with 15 homers and 41 RBIs, putting him right at the top of the MVP conversation. Blackmon continues to prove his versatility and value to a tough Rockies team, slashing .329/.364/.625 with 13 homers and a league-leading 46 RBIs. Heyward has rebounded offensively, with five homers and 21 RBIs while providing his usual Gold Glove defense. Zobrist (.816 OPS, six homers) and the popular Schwarber (seven homers) round out the top five. Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 29, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 ballots cast. Following the announcement of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media. MLB.com Moore gets no backing in loss to Nats

Jamal Collier and Michael Wagaman SAN FRANCISCO -- Tanner Roark and three relievers combined on an eight-hit shutout, Ryan Zimmerman homered and scored twice, and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants, 3-0, on Monday in a game that featured a benches-clearing brawl in the eighth inning. Daniel Murphy added two hits and two RBIs and Anthony Rendon singled twice to pace the Nationals in the opener of this three-game series at AT&T Park. "That's what you do, you win the game first," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "That's what we're here for. We're not here to brawl. We're here to win the game. But we're not here to take any stuff, either. Like I said, most teams I've had we don't start anything, but we don't take nothing." Roark (5-2) pitched seven crisp innings, allowing six hits, walked one and struck out six to win his second straight decision. The right-hander only allowed two runners past first base and got help from catcher Matt Wieters, who threw out a pair of baserunners. Giants starter Matt Moore (2-6) took the loss despite allowing only two runs over seven innings. The left-hander gave up six hits, struck out five and didn't walk a batter but got no run support. "I know they're a good lineup, and as a team they've done some good things but I always feel good pitching here," Moore said. "The way we've playing overall in the last two weeks, I think everybody had good feelings going into it." The game was halted briefly in the top of the eighth after Washington slugger Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch from San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland. Harper took a few strides toward the mound and flung his batting helmet aside before the two started trading punches. Both dugouts emptied and there was a lot of pushing and shoving by both teams before order was restored. Strickland, who had to be forcefully removed from the field by a trio of teammates, was ejected along with Harper. "I don't want to go on a baseball field and try to fight somebody," said Harper, who hit two homers off Strickland in the 2014 National League Division Series. "Especially when it's somebody that it's in the past. It's so in the past that it's not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don't even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don't know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Another gem by Roark: Roark had cruised along for most of his outing thanks to a strong two-seamer and movement of all of his pitches. In the sixth, the Giants managed perhaps their best scoring threat against Roark after back-to-back two-out singles from Brandon Belt and Buster Posey. That brought Brandon Crawford to the plate representing the potential go-ahead run, but a curveball from Roark forced him to hit a grounder to Murphy and end the threat. "We just couldn't do much with their starter," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's a tough one to lose when you get a quality start like we did from Moore."

Zimmerman's 14th: Zimmerman's home run leading off the second inning was his 14th of the season, second on the Nationals to Harper's 15. More importantly, it was Zimmerman's first long ball in more than three weeks. Washington's first baseman, who entered the day second in batting in the National League, finished with three hits to raise his average to .374. QUOTABLE "After it happened I kind of saw Harper point and the next thing you know he's going out after him. There's some big guys tumbling around on the ground. You see Mike Morse, he's about as big as they come, and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. It's a little dangerous to get in there sometimes." -- Giants catcher Buster Posey "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag." -- Baker "I mean, a baseball's a weapon, and being able to use that to his advantage, that's just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go and get him. You can't hesitate. You either go to first base or go after him. I decided to go after him." -- Harper SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Roark improved to 6-0 in six career starts against the Giants. WHAT'S NEXT Nationals: Left-hander Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) will take the mound as the Nats continue this three-game series Tuesday night at 10:15 p.m. ET at AT&T Park. Gonzalez has cooled off since his hot start in April as he has posted a 4.40 ERA through five starts in May. Giants: Jeff Samardzija (1-6, 4.50) seeks his first career win against the Nationals in the middle game of this series Tuesday night (7:15 PT) at AT&T Park. Samardzija has at least eight strikeouts in each of his past five starts but is coming off a rough outing against the Cubs when he was tagged for three home runs. MLB.com Giants, Nats scrap after Harper hit by pitch Jamal Collier SAN FRANCISCO -- A benches-clearing brawl broke out between the Giants and Nationals in the eighth inning of Monday afternoon's 3-0 Washington victory at AT&T Park, and it was almost certainly related to a postseason home run three years ago. With two outs in the eighth, Giants right-hander Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper in his right hip with a 98 mph fastball. Harper immediately pointed toward and yelled at Strickland and charged toward the mound. Harper launched his helmet past the mound before the two started exchanging blows as both benches cleared. Both Harper and Strickland were ejected from the game, and Strickland had to be physically removed from the field by at least three of his Giants teammates -- George Kontos, Mac Williamson and Hunter Pence, who is on the disabled list.

This was the first matchup between Harper and Strickland since the National League Division Series in 2014, when Harper went 2-for-2 vs. Strickland with a pair of home runs, including a long homer in Game 4 at AT&T Park that landed in McCovey Cove. Harper stopped and stared in the batter's box at that home run, raised his hand as he rounded first base and stared at Strickland on the mound. Harper said none of that was on his mind on this Monday afternoon in May when he stepped into the box against Strickland. But once he got hit, he felt immediately that it was intentional and he said he just saw red. "I don't want to go on a baseball field and try to fight somebody," Harper said. "Especially when it's somebody that it's in the past. It's so in the past that it's not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don't even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don't know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens." Strickland maintained he only wanted to throw inside and that this was just a coincidence. But he had not hit a batter all season long and had hit just four batters in 156 games prior to Monday across four years of his career. "Yeah, I can see how that kind of stands in people's minds but that's the past," Strickland said about 2014. "I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him and he's taken advantage of that. So obviously I'd rather miss in than over the plate." Giants catcher Buster Posey did not immediately react as Harper charged the mound, saying after the game that it can be dangerous to get in there. And although both benches cleared, there appeared to be no other punches thrown, with both sides focused on separating the two. "After it happened, I kind of saw Harper point and the next thing you know, he's going out after him," Posey said. "There's some big guys tumbling around on the ground. You see Mike Morse, he's about as big as they come, and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. It's a little dangerous to get in there sometimes." "It looks bad, so you had two guys that probably don't care for each other much," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's unfortunate, it is. That was a pretty good pile. We're probably lucky somebody on either side didn't get hurt in that situation." The Nationals clubhouse was surprised Strickland had seemingly held a grudge for so long -- more than 2 1/2 years after their postseason series. Especially considering the Giants won that NLDS in four games over the Nats and went on to win the World Series. "I think it's way too late for that," right-hander Tanner Roark said. "Maybe he shouldn't have thrown those pitches that get hit out. That's the bottom line." "I thought completely uncalled for," Nats second baseman Daniel Murphy said. "Shouldn't really get a 98 mph fastball in your hip for hitting home runs," Nats first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "I don't get to fight the pitcher when he strikes me out twice."

After Harper was eventually separated from the pile, Zimmerman held him back by the Nationals dugout. None of the Nationals found any fault with Harper and seemed to think whatever lingered was settled Monday afternoon. Both Harper and Strickland seem almost certain to face punishment from Major League Baseball. The same is likely true of Pence, who came onto the field while on the DL to restrain Strickland. "I'm not sure how all that goes," Strickland said about discipline. "That's their decision and obviously I'll take whatever consequences come with it and we'll go from there." Harper, who was calm and measured after the game, added: "I mean, a baseball's a weapon, and being able to use that to his advantage, that's just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go and get him. "You can't hesitate. You either go to first base or go after him. I decided to go after him." MLB.com Samardzija looks to contain Nats bats Michael Wagaman Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez takes another crack at ending his month-long winless drought, while Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija attempts to get his own season back on track in the middle game of this series Tuesday night at AT&T Park. Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) last won April 27 when he beat Colorado. Since then, the 31-year-old pitcher is 0-1 with four no-decisions and has struggled to keep runners off base. In his last five starts, Gonzalez has given up seven home runs and allowed 14 runs in 28 2/3 innings for a 4.40 ERA. Samardzija (1-6) has also had an uneven season. He has at least eight strikeouts in each of his previous five starts but is coming off a rough outing against the Chicago Cubs when he allowed three home runs, tying his season high. Since getting roughed up by the Arizona Diamondbacks in his first start of the year, Samardzija's ERA has slowly dipped and is at a season-low 4.50 entering Tuesday's game. Things to know about this game • Nats slugger Bryce Harper is always tough to deal with but he has been stellar with two strikes this season. He entered Monday with eight of his home runs coming with two strikes, which leads the Majors. • Samardzija has 44 strikeouts over his last 36 2/3 innings. • Giants catcher Buster Posey and shortstop Brandon Crawford are the only two players on San Francisco's roster to homer against Gonzalez. Both have done it once. • Denard Span spent three seasons with Washington (2013-15) before signing with San Francisco prior to last season.

• Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who homered in his first plate appearance of this series Monday, is batting .053 in 19 at-bats against Samardzija. Zimmerman has more strikeouts (seven) than hits (1) and walks (1) combined against the Giants' right-hander. MLB.com On Monday, Barry Zito returned to the diamond in San Francisco ... as a musician Gemma Kaneko Over his 15-year career with the A's and the Giants, Barry Zito won a Cy Young Award, appeared in three All-Star Games and stunned the entire Bay Area with his luxurious coiffure: hair Zito made his final appearance on the mound back in 2015, when he made one last start in Oakland against his former teammate, Tim Hudson. But it wasn't until Monday of this week that he made his return to San Francisco, before the Giants' 3-0 loss to the Nationals. However, he wasn't there to pitch. He was there to perform. His debut EP, "No Secrets," came out earlier this year, and he sang two songs from it before the game started. The EP hit Billboard at No. 15 on the Americana/Folk charts and at No. 39 on the Country Album charts, which basically makes him the Drake of his genre: MLB.com talked to Zito about his music career earlier this year. He compared the pressure of pitching to the pressure of live performance and said that Tim Lincecum would make a great bass player. Click here to read the full interview. NBC Sports Bay Area Giants Notes: What Might A Strickland Suspension Look Like? Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — I had a fair amount of time to think about the Strickland v. Harper on my drive home, and my main takeaway is this: The Giants got shut out for the second time in four days. Don’t let a couple of punches wipe away the end result Monday. When all was said and done, the Giants had dropped another game in lifeless — if you take out the fight — fashion. They left nine on base while losing 3-0, wasting one of Matt Moore’s best days as a Giant. Facing the best lineup in the National League, Moore allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked none for the first time since April 10. “I’ll be honest, I never try to walk someone,” Moore said of his aggressive approach Monday. “It was just being able to get in a good rhythm and it’s getting back to having command of all your pitches.” Buster Posey thought Moore’s cutter was especially lethal against the Nationals, who lead the majors with 277 runs. The Giants, on the other end, rank 29th at 179. The big story from yesterday was obviously the fight. Here’s Hunter Strickland’s side. Here’s what Bryce Harper had to say.

There haven’t been a whole lot of fights like that in recent memory, so it’s hard to guess at exactly what the commissioner’s office will do. The one that comes to mind in terms of mound-charging and hatred is Zack Greinke and Carlos Quentin, but that wasn't nearly as violent. Quentin got suspended for eight games; Greinke didn’t get suspended at all, but he broke his collarbone and missed two months. Rougned Odor also got eight games for clocking Jose Bautista and the late Yordano Ventura got nine for a fight with Manny Machado, but Ventura was a starter, and their suspensions take into account how many starts you'll miss. That seems to be the range we're looking at with Strickland, somewhere in the six-to-eight ballpark, given that he's someone who is available every day. There is, however, a growing feeling within the game that punishments need to be increased, and it's possible Strickland is hammered because of the three-years-later nature of the pitch. --- Eduardo Nuñez said his vision was still blurry today and he wasn’t available to pinch-hit. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see Nuñez placed on the DL today. Orlando Calixte was still around after the game. --- Christian Arroyo, who turned 22 today, snapped an 0 for 21 with a double off the third-base bag in the third inning, but he’s far from the only Giant slumping. Joe Panik has just one hit in his past six games --- I’m not sure the Giants get Strickland off the field without Mac Williamson grabbing his legs, the sign of a man who grew up with plenty of brothers. But it wasn’t a great day for Williamson overall, with two strikeouts and a rare move in what would have been his third at-bat. Bochy pinch-hit Michael Morse for Williamson. That’s right-handed bat for right-handed bat, something you don't see often. Morse struck out. With Hunter Pence back as soon as this weekend, it's not hard to guess at the roster move. --- From the minors, Chris Shaw hit his first homer in Triple-A last night. He’s 6- for 21 with a homer and three doubles in five games. A nice start for the left fielder. NBC Sports Bay Area The 98 Mph-Tantrum: Strickland Will Play Villain, Or Have Villainy Thrust Upon Him Ray Ratto Hunter Strickland’s next fifteen-minutes-of-fame moment has not gone well, and without claiming to know him well enough to speculate well, I would guess that he will work very hard to make it not matter. His decision to throw at Washington’s Bryce Harper in belated response to Harper’s two home runs against him in the 2014 playoffs (and no, we’re not buying the “it got away from me” story) has been almost universally savaged as an act of potentially dangerous petulance. Strickland, who plays at being the defiant sort – a bit like Madison Bumgarner, though comparisons are typically dodgy by their very nature – seemed neither contrite nor even bothered by the event or its aftermath. He seemed, in fact, like he’d be willing to do it all again if given another chance. But that’s conjecture, of which there is much, without a lot of evidence, of which there is only the act and its images, like Buster Posey opting out of the subsequent brawl, and Jeff Samardzija taking out

Michael Morse like a free-range scud, and Strickland being dragged/mauled off the field against his will by George Kontos, Hunter Pence and Mac Williamson. We can infer from these things that (a) some of his fellow players are skeptical of his temper, (b) that Samardzija will never not be a wedge-buster at heart, and (c) Hunter Strickland will find out the real price of being reduced to a caricature by Big Hot-Take. It’s a story as old as electronic scoreboards – the guy who either decides to play the villain or has villainy thrust upon him, and decides to iron-jaw his way through the reaction. Strickland gave in to a moment of three-year-old pique over what was essentially his own failure, forgetting that one of the many unwritten rules of baseball is that while you might throw at a guy in defense of your team, you don’t endanger your teammates by settling an individual score – especially when you’re the one who ultimately won. Strickland has been one of the best relievers the Giants have this year, so his career was on a slow but discernible rise after its original difficult start. But he has in one moment decided to define himself to the outside world as the guy who reprised one of his lowest moments with a 98-mph tantrum, and the weight that comes with that is heavy at first and only gets worse with time. And while he is facing it, he is facing it face-first without fully understanding the continuing price of being the designated bad guy. Nobody ever does until they got through it, and only the most obstinate and successful athletes even have a fighting chance to break even with an amorphous public that can’t be seen, felt or argued with. See Green, Draymond. Maybe an apology, which Strickland is loath to provide, could change the narrative assigned to him, because let’s face it, we give great deference to the quality of one’s apology. But if Strickland is going to power through this chin-out and in full defiance, his career will be marked by endless replays of the Harper incident, which we feel fairly secure saying he will not enjoy. But it’s what he seems to be signing on to, on the theory that he will not give in to public pressure or opprobrium. He is going to find out that it isn’t the easy matter it seems, but it is not something he can be told. He will have to experience it, over and over and over again, and the difficulty of carrying that tonnage is not to be underestimated. In short, in the world of celebrity (and even a setup man in the major leagues like Strickland is a celebrity of sorts), you are defined by the public based on whom that public decides you are, no matter how true or false a read that might be. That’s a tough pull for all but the most successful athletes and hide-bound personalities, because it can go on for years. We are about to find out which of those types Hunter Strickland is. And by “we,” I mean him and the public that judges him. NBC Sports Bay Area Buster Posey In Position To Make Fifth All-Star Team Alex Pavlovic

SAN FRANCISCO -- If the voting holds, Buster Posey and Bryce Harper can soon discuss Monday's brawl while sharing a clubhouse. Posey was the clear leader in All-Star voting for catchers when the first round of results was released Tuesday. Harper, who fought Hunter Strickland on Monday, leads the overall balloting with just over 900,000 votes. Posey has 559,428 votes and a lead of more than 200,000 over Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. He is batting .340 this season with seven homers and his usual Gold Glove defense. An All-Star selection would be Posey's fifth, and third straight. Posey is the only Giant listed among the voting leaders, which isn't that much of a surprise given the team's record, some individual performances, and a general sense of disappointment among the fan base. The other players currently in position to start the All-Star Game are: Anthony Rizzo, Daniel Murphy, Corey Seager, Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon and Jason Heyward. NBC Sports Bay Area Dodgers Infielder Weighs In On Harper's Errant Helmet Throw NBC Sports Bay Area Staff Before the right hooks and haymakers, there was the helmet toss. A very bad helmet toss. As he made his way to the mound after getting hit by a pitch on Monday afternoon, Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper attempted to throw his helmet at Giants reliever Hunter Strickland. He missed by a wide margin. Observers took notice, including Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. "What was worse, Harper's helmet throw or 50 Cents first pitch? Heads up in the #McCoveyCove," Turner tweeted shortly after the brawl between the Giants and Nationals. Turner is referring to a ceremonial first pitch thrown by rapper 50 Cent prior to a Mets game in 2014. Harper mentioned the helmet when addressing the situation after the game. "I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess," Harper told reporters. NBC Sports Bay Area Fight Notes: Harper Thought This Was Over; Giants Collide; Posey Avoids It Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — When the Nationals visited AT&T Park for the first time after the 2014 postseason series, Bryce Harper took to Instagram to compliment the city. “Nothing like SF! #BayArea” he wrote underneath a photo of the Bay Bridge.

Harper, a Las Vegas kid, has always seemed to enjoy facing the Giants. He hasn’t hit well at AT&T Park, but he was a star in their 2014 matchup and he praised Brandon Crawford on Twitter during this year’s WBC. The greeting Monday was not a friendly one. Harper was retired three times by Matt Moore. The first pitch he saw from Hunter Strickland left a dent on his hip and set off a wild brawl. Strickland denied any intent. Harper seemed confused by the timing of the payback pitch. “It’s so in the past, it’s not even relevant anymore,” he said of their 2014 series, according to Dan Kolko of MASN. “They won the World Series that year. I don’t think he should even be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don’t know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens.” The Giants were not surprised when Harper reacted the way he did. Now they’ll wait for Strickland to get hit with a suspension, and Harper is looking at a layoff, too. “You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you’ve got to go and get him,” Harper said. “You can’t hesitate. You either go to first base or you go after him. And I decided to go after him.” Strickland, about an hour after the fight, said he’s not sure what will happen in terms of discipline. “That’s their decision and obviously I’ll take whatever consequences come with it and we’ll go from there,” he said. Any action by the league is unlikely to impact this series. Even if suspensions are handed down swiftly, players can appeal. Harper and Strickland may not be alone. Several players jumped into the fray aggressively and at least one non-active Giant — Hunter Pence — was right in the middle of the scrum. At the very least, he could be facing a fine for trying to help his teammate. “It doesn't look good when a guy gets hit but also on their side, the guy throws his helmet,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Strickland’s got to stand his ground. There’s no choice there. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen (with suspensions).” One player who won’t face discipline: Madison Bumgarner, who is also on the DL but wisely stayed away from this one, even if it probably killed him to do so. --- The biggest hit didn’t come from Strickland or Harper. It was Jeff Samardzija and Michael Morse coming together in the middle of the field. Both players said they were fine. "I was just trying to get in there to break everything up," Morse said. "We lost the game, that's what's most important." Ahhh, yes, the Giants lost 3-0. Bochy seemed particularly peeved that Strickland chose the eighth inning of a 2-0 game to exact revenge, and you can bet some teammates weren't thrilled. We'll see if there's anything more to this Tuesday. There was a lot of adrenaline flowing, but some of these guys might not

be feeling so spry when they wake up in the morning. Bochy said he had not heard any reports of players getting injured, but he also admitted that he didn't see most of the collisions and had no idea what happened with Morse and Samardzija, who had a world-class reaction, by the way. --- As with the incident with the Dodgers a couple weeks ago, Buster Posey stayed out of this one. Smartly. "After it happened I saw Harper point and the next thing you know he's going out after them," Posey said. "Those are some big guys tumbling on the ground. You see Michael Morse, as big as he is, and he's getting knocked around like a pinball." Posey is not alone in staying away from these scrums where 250-pound dudes are flying at knees and ankles. Brandon Crawford can often be found on the outside, as well. It's smart, but I think something else was at play here today. Posey understands that the Giants are fighting for every scrap at this point. Every loss digs the hole that much deeper, and this happened with two outs in the eighth inning of a 2-0 game, against a team with a poor bullpen. I'd imagine there was some serious annoyance there. --- How angry was Strickland? It took three guys, three big guys, to drag him into the dugout: Pence, Mac Williamson, and George Kontos. "I was pretty fired up to be honest with you, but that’s just adrenaline," he said. --- Baseball fights are rather silly, but at least you get some phenomenal photos. NBC Sports Bay Area After Fight, Strickland Denies Intentionally Throwing At Harper Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — There’s a certain rhythm to a baseball brawl. A player gets drilled and inches toward the mound, often at the invitation of the man who threw the pitch. The catcher rushes to get in the way as both benches and bullpens clear. Within five seconds, most baseball “fights” turn into a “hold me back” tournament. Monday’s showdown between Hunter Strickland and Bryce Harper was not your normal baseball fight, in part because it was a long time coming. Three years after Harper twice took Strickland deep in the NLDS, the second homer leading to a stare down and primal screams from the Nationals’ best player, the two met again. Strickland’s first pitch to Harper since that series was a 98 mph fastball directly at the hip. Harper charged the mound and both players connected with shots before sanity was restored. Strickland was waiting for reporters when the clubhouse opened after a 3-0 loss. He denied any intent. “Obviously I’ve left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. It was mostly to go inside and obviously I got it in a little bit too far,” Strickland said. “I didn’t expect that (fight) but it’s part of the game and that’s what he decided to do.”

There’s no upside in coming out and saying you flat-out tried to hit a guy, but actions spoke louder than words during the fight and afterward. Buster Posey didn’t move as Harper charged his pitcher, as if to say, this is your mess. Bruce Bochy said he talked to Strickland after the fight to reiterate that this was not the situation to seek payback. “We’re trying to win a ballgame,” Bochy said. “It’s 2-0 and I had to talk to him. Obviously we don’t take or do things that are out of the ordinary from what I want. We go out there and try to win a ballgame. It’s a situation where I needed to talk to him and make sure that we’re straight with something. We did talk.” Bochy called the incident “unfortunate” and said a couple of times that “it looks bad.” “You have two guys that probably don’t care for each other much,” he said. No, they certainly don’t, but that’s nothing new. This started in Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS, when Harper, already one of the league’s better hitters, took Strickland, then a rookie, deep. Three games later he hit a game-tying shot into McCovey Cove, watching it as it soared into the dark night. He stared Strickland down as he rounded second and yelled back at the mound as he took his gear off in the dugout. It’s unclear why that first incident quite turned out the way it did. There was some speculation that Harper was reacting to Strickland saying after Game 1 that he would throw Harper more fastballs. After the second homer, Harper looked out at the field and yelled, "Let's go! Again!" Either way, nothing more came of that first tussle. The Giants eliminated the Nationals and went on to win the World Series. Harper and Strickland didn’t square off in either of the past two seasons. With two outs in the eighth Monday, they finally faced off again. After taking the pitch off the hip, Harper pointed his bat and then flung it down. The players exchanged expletives and Strickland stood with a calm expression on his face, his glove dropped to the ground. Harper threw his helmet toward second and Strickland got the first shot in, an open-handed right to the face. Harper got one good punch in before players from both sides collided on the mound. “It’s go time,” Strickland said. “You’ve got to protect yourself and stand your own grand, you know.” Harper told Nationals reporter that this was probably the first time he was certain a pitcher was going to throw at him. “One thing I’ve got to say about Strickland: He hit me in the right spot. I do respect him for that. He didn’t come up and in at my face or anything like that, which some guys do," Harper said. "So I respect him on that level, because he could’ve come up and in and got me somewhere you don’t want to get hit. He got me on the hip. But there’s some times where it’s just not relevant. That was a spot where it wasn’t relevant. It was three years ago, over 1,000 days. I don’t know why he’s thinking about it.” Strickland claimed he wasn’t thinking about 2014, even if the connection was immediate to anyone watching. “I can see how that kind of stands in people’s minds, but that’s the past,” he said. “Like I said, I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. Obviously I’d rather miss in than over the plate.”

NBC Sports Bay Area Punches Thrown, Epic Brawl Ensues After Strickland Hits Harper With Pitch Alex Pavlovic SAN FRANCISCO — Pitchers never forget, and Bryce Harper didn’t either. Three years after Harper took Strickland deep in the NLDS and the two exchanged words, Strickland drilled Harper, setting off a wild, legitimate fight on the mound. Harper charged Strickland and tried to throw his helmet before the two started throwing haymakers. A wild brawl ensued, and Strickland had to be dragged off the field by three teammates. Both players were ejected. Harper came up with two outs and the Giants trailing by a pair in the eighth. The first pitch was a 98 mph heat-seaker right at Harper’s hip. Harper pointed his bat at Strickland and then tossed it down. Strickland dropped his glove and then Harper threw his helmet, which ended up going toward second base. Each player got at least one good shot in before they were swallowed up by a dogpile. Jeff Samardzija — coming from the bench — collided with Michael Morse, who was coming from first. Both appeared to be fine. Harper and Strickland first crossed paths in the 2014 NLDS, when Harper homered off Strickland in Game 1 and then hit a 97 mph fastball into McCovey Cove to tie Game 4. He watched it fly and the two stared at each other as Harper rounded second. When he reached the dugout, he turned back toward the field and screamed at Strickland. Santa Rosa Press Democrat Hunter Strickland, Bryce Harper brawl after 98 mph fastball drills Nationals star Gideon Rubin SAN FRANCISCO — Drilled in the hip by a heater, Bryce Harper knew where this was headed. In a hurry, too. “You see red,” he said. Enraged, the Washington slugger charged the mound, fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with reliever Hunter Strickland, setting off a wild brawl Monday during the Nationals’ 3-0 win against the San Francisco Giants. “You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can’t hesitate,” Harper said. “You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.” The two players have a history between them stemming from the 2014 playoffs. This flashpoint came in the eighth inning — with two outs, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball. Harper didn’t wait. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off.

“My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that,” he said. No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. His eyes were wide as he flung his helmet — it wasn’t close to Strickland, it might’ve slipped — and they started swinging away. Strickland, who’s 6-foot-4, hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied. “I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess,” Harper said. Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper. Harper and Strickland were both ejected. No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper attributes a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl. In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases. This was the first time they’d faced each other since then. “I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I think (the Giants) were definitely shocked at the situation, shocked that he would do something like that three years later,” Harper said. Strickland said he missed his spot. “I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him,” he said. “He’s taken advantage of that, so I went inside. Obviously, I got in a little too far.” Giants manager Bruce Bochy framed it for everyone. “It looks bad, it does,” Bochy said. “Harper gets hit and you look at a guy who’s given up some home runs, and he’ll tell you that he was trying to come in. You don’t want to make a mistake there. You have two guys who don’t care for each other too much. It was a pretty good pile.” Nationals manager Dusty Baker had no doubt about Strickland’s intent. “We were ahead 2-0, two outs and nobody on base. I mean, that’s the prime time to hit somebody if you’re going to hit them, it looked like it was intentional to me,” he said. “What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag, he’s human with emotions. I know he took (Strickland) deep in the playoffs a couple of times and he probably took exception to that. I mean baseball is a game where you don’t forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time.”

Too long in the estimation of Harper and his teammates. “Completely uncalled for,” Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy said. “Bryce hits one … off him in a big spot from what I understand, I think I remember seeing it live, and Hunter waits three years. I think if the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season.” Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, Harper’s teammate in 2014, said the incident shouldn’t come as that big a surprise. “You can’t assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do,” he said. “History is history, some people hold it longer than others.” Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. The NL East leaders opened a nine-game West Coast trip with their sixth win in eight games. Koda Glover pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his sixth save in seven tries. Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6) in the second. Murphy hit an RBI double in his first game after missing three games due to illness. ZITO, UNPLUGGED Former Giants pitcher Barry Zito performed two songs from his “No Secrets” album during a Memorial Day ceremony before Monday’s game. The 2002 AL Cy Young award winner played guitar and sang vocals. His album, released in January, made Americana/Folk Album and Country Album charts. TRAINER’S ROOM Nationals: INF Stephen Drew, out since April 12 with a right hamstring strain, was reinstated before the game. The Nationals optioned LHP Matt Grace to Triple-A Syracuse. … Manager Dusty Baker rejoined the team after missing the weekend to attend son Darren’s high school graduation. Giants: Utilityman Eduardo Nunez was evaluated for concussion symptoms after suffering a head injury while scoring on a passed ball on Sunday. He experienced blurry vision but stayed in the game, Bochy said. Sacramento Bee Harper, Strickland trade punches, Nationals beat Giants 3-0 Gideon Rubin SAN FRANCISCO Drilled in the hip by a heater, Bryce Harper knew where this was headed. In a hurry, too. "You see red," he said.

Enraged, the Washington slugger charged the mound, wildly fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with reliever Hunter Strickland, setting off a furious brawl Monday during the Nationals' 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. "You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can't hesitate," Harper said. "You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him." The two players have a history, stemming from two home runs Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs. "I can see how that stands in people's minds," Strickland said. This flashpoint came in their first matchup since then — with two outs in the eighth inning, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball. Harper didn't wait. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off. "My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that," he said. No one got in Harper's way as he rushed the mound. Giants star catcher Buster Posey stuck near the plate when Harper bolted, and stayed clear of the fracas as things escalated. "Strick and him are the only ones that can answer why" the fight happened, Posey said. Posey got a concussion last month from a beaning. He said he wasn't thinking about that accident, but was concerned about injuries. "There were some big guys tumbling around out there," he said. "So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes." Harper's eyes were wide as he flung his helmet — it wasn't close to Strickland, it might've slipped, helmets are hard to throw accurately — and they started swinging away. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied. "I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess," Harper said. Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. "I'm OK, but why is that news?" Morse said. "I was trying to get in there to break everyone up." Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper.

Harper and Strickland were both ejected, and are certain to face punishment from Major League Baseball. No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper attributed a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl. In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases. "I wasn't sure what was going on, but I think (the Giants) were definitely shocked at the situation, shocked that he would do something like that three years later," Harper said. "It just wasn't relevant. Like I said, it was three years ago, over a thousand days, I guess," Harper said. "I don't know why he's thinking about it. He's got a World Series ring. It's on his finger and he's able to look at it every single night." Angry, Harper did at least appreciate there was no head-hunting. "One thing I've got to say about Strickland is he hit me in the right spot, so I do respect him for that," Harper said. "He didn't come up and in toward my face like some guys do, so I respect him on that level." Strickland said he missed his spot. "I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him," he said. "He's taken advantage of that, so I went inside. Obviously, I got in a little too far." "He decided to come out, that's what he decided to do. It's go time. You protect yourself and stand your own ground," he said. "And I'll take what consequences come with it. I was pretty fired up, to be honest. It's part of the game." Giants manager Bruce Bochy framed it for everyone. "It looks bad, it does," he said. "Harper gets hit and you look at a guy who's given up some home runs, and he'll tell you that he was trying to come in. You don't want to make a mistake there. You have two guys who don't care for each other too much. It was a pretty good pile." Nationals manager Dusty Baker had no doubt about Strickland's intent. "We were ahead 2-0, two outs and nobody on base. I mean, that's the prime time to hit somebody if you're going to hit them, it looked like it was intentional to me," he said. "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag, he's human with emotions. I know he took (Strickland) deep in the playoffs a couple of times and he probably took exception to that. I mean baseball is a game where you don't forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time." Too long in the estimation of Harper and his teammates.

"Completely uncalled for," Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy said. "Bryce hits one ... off him in a big spot from what I understand, I think I remember seeing it live, and Hunter waits three years. I think if the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would've gotten one the next season." Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, Harper's teammate in 2014, said the incident shouldn't come as that big a surprise. "You can't assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do," he said. "History is history, some people hold it longer than others." Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. Koda Glover pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his sixth save. Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6). Murphy hit an RBI double in his first game after missing three games due to illness. UP NEXT LHP Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) is 4-4 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 starts against the Giants. Samardzija (1-6, 4.50) is 2-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 appearances (seven starts) against Washington and 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts against the Nationals. ESPN Dear Bryce Harper, my dude: What were you thinking?! Sam Miller My dude, I am as shallow and as easily amused as anybody else, so I can admit I like your dumb fights. Keep doing your dumb fights. Do them to make me happy. But my dude, I'd be a bad friend if I didn't tell you: You look dumb out there. I don't mean in the way that men acting like children often look dumb. I don't mean in the way that you'll get suspended and hurt your team and lose a bunch of money, and I don't mean in the way that people who say you're immature or a bad dude will use this fight for years to justify those takes. That's all obvious. I mean you look like a dork. You are one of the strongest and most coordinated men in the world, but in what will be the most-viewed moment of your career, you look uncoordinated and weak. Like a dork. You know? That's how you look. You're my guy, so I've got to tell you that you look pretty good when that ball hits off your hip and you don't even flinch, let alone cry or ask the umpire for a hug. And you look pretty cool when you point out at the mound. You are the type of guy who isn't afraid to point out at a guy and tell him you're not afraid to point at him. I can't help but be impressed; I'm afraid of that guy, and I would not point. You pointed. Not bad, my man.

Then you flip the bat. You look pretty cool flipping that bat. So nonchalant; you're in control of that bat. You have large biceps and strong thighs and you make that bat look so inconsequential, and in doing so, you've made the pitcher look small and inconsequential. I like the look, my dude. You look cool. And then, my dude, you take off your helmet and, uh-oh, now you're starting to look awkward. Now you've got to charge, and it's a long way between you and your enemy, and you've got that problem we've all got when we walk into a business meeting or a job interview and the room is just too long and you don't know what to do with your hands. When is it too early to reach your hand out for the shake? Should you make small talk on the way? Should you button your jacket up or unbutton it? Is it too late to check your fly? You've got to figure out, in the middle of this stressful and unfamiliar situation, just how long your strides should be and what your pace should be. You end up getting self-conscious; the guy is just staring at you, waiting. Is it too late to turn back? It is too late to turn back! Your hands! Why are your hands so empty? So you grab your helmet. Now you're holding a helmet. What are you supposed to do with the helmet? Are you supposed to smash the guy in the face with it? Flip it so that it will bounce in your wake, out of the way? Put it back on? Throw it? My dude, I can't believe you decided to throw it. You can't throw a helmet. Have you ever tried throwing a helmet? First off, it's not easy. The round part is slippery and way too wide to palm; the straight part, the bill, is way harder to grip than you're expecting. It's only about an inch and a half deep at the deepest point, and as thin as a cheap butter knife, impossible to get a good throwin' hold on. And you're wearing batting gloves, so you don't even get that tactile adaptability that skin provides. You could work on your batting helmet throws all spring training and you'd still be no more accurate than Jon Lester throwing to first. But second off, you didn't work on your batting helmet throws all spring training. You worked on hitting, fielding, throwing baseballs, running bases, and it is because you worked on those things that you are an elite baseball player -- elite at hitting, fielding, throwing baseballs, running bases. That's how it works: The things you do a lot, you become elite at. The things you've never done, you're terrible at. Don't do those things in front of the world! Do them in your garage until you get good at them, then join the televised helmet-chucking circuit. But, my dude, you've only just begun looking like a first QWOP attempt. Because after throwing the helmet roughly into your own dugout, you're about to run into a guy who has been waiting his entire life -- well, the past four seconds of his entire life -- to punch you. He is ready! Unlike you! You are still half-trying to figure out whether you'll need to allow for the slope of the mound and worried about trying to punch from the wrong foot and, because you bat left but throw right, trying to decide which hand you even are, and hoping that the helmet will hit him, and still truly undecided between punch and kick and tackle and going and getting the helmet to rethrow it. Also, your stupid helmet throw has left you off balance, so you're going to get hit in the face with a punch right around the time you decide. You can't look cool getting hit in the face with a punch, my dude. Didn't you think this through at all? This is you, my guy: So now it's your turn. You're going to punch the other man, and then you'll get your swag back. But, my guy, I hate to be the guy who reminds you of this: You just got punched -- in the face. You are off balance, your brain is about 40 percent askew, your eyes have blurred up and the guy you're about to punch is now moving unpredictably because he just threw the full force of his body into your face. This

is not going to be the punch you've always imagined throwing. You will not give him the ol' one-two. You will do an errant short-arm punch that, if you're lucky, will not catch your own face on the recoil. You will look like you are grabbing at a mosquito in the dark, and we will see it. You will punch like a guy trapped in a well trying to grab a ledge 4 feet out of his reach. My friend, I do not judge you for this terrible punch. I can't punch. I'm happy to not be able to punch. Most of my best friends can't punch, and my very best friends wouldn't punch even if they could. Don't punch! But my man: If you want to punch, consider what it will cost you to punch. All the people in the world who can punch, or who think they can punch, will see you try to punch and will know that you can't punch as well as they (think they) do. They will not think you are cool. We've reached the point, my dude, where nothing good is going to happen. Your hair is flopping around, your countenance is making all sorts of rage faces that look extra funny in a freeze-frame, and by now the photographers are getting every split second of it in perfect focus. You and everything you have built -- the eye black, the hyperstylized hair, the "clown question, bro" -- is all fading into a meme. You just put your hand on the orb, pal. The memes are not going to be "check out the tough guy" memes, because the internet is fueled by irony. A tough guy looking not tough is meme rocket fuel. Every frame that makes you look bad will be retweeted. You have signed up for this. In fact, there's only one way to salvage the situation, my guy: You've got to take this pitcher down. Remember, he's as bad at this as you are; he's just as unprepared, as polluted by adrenaline, as unpracticed in the art of on-mound martial arts as you are. So steady yourself and deliver that one shot to the face so powerful he drops to the ground. You'll stand over him, Ali towering over Whoever That Was, and that's the picture that leads USA Today's sports page tomorrow. You made some mistakes to get here, but you can still do this, my dude. Buster Posey will need extra padding because his pitcher put a target on the Giants catcher by unnecessarily seeking revenge against the Nats star. You put your left hand out to steady your target. You swing with your right. You get him in the face. For the type of person who likes this stuff, this is the good stuff. You did it. You ... wait, you're falling backward. You punched him in the face and he hardly budged, while you fell backward. He is a wall; you are a handball. My dude. My dude, what have you done, my dude? My guy: The batter never comes out of this looking good. The pitcher usually doesn't, but I can at least name one Nolan Ryan. Check out my dude Manny Machado here, skipping to the mound and then swinging wildly with his eyes closed and his face staring at the sky: Here's my dude Pedro Martinez missing with his helmet from literally 1 inch away: Here's my guy Kevin Youkilis, charging for so long and with so little effort that he eventually just falls over under the waifish pitcher, just a few feet from first base, where he should have gone originally: Those are just the first three I found, and they're all pretty embarrassing. As they should be: Fighting is hard. Doing hard things on television will almost always embarrass you. An industry is built on that very idea.

My dude, do what you've got to do. But I'll tell you this: There are good reasons and bad reasons to not do things like you just did. The good reasons aren't going to convince you. The bad ones might. ESPN Olney: Giants should consider pre-emptively punishing Strickland Buster Olney Earlier this season, Toronto center fielder Kevin Pillar did something out of line, yelling an anti-gay slur at the Braves' Jason Motte after Motte had quick-pitched him and Pillar struck out. Less than 24 hours later, the Blue Jays collaborated with Major League Baseball on the question of discipline and suspended Pillar for two games. Pillar took full responsibility for what happened, and the accountability was crucial. It's an example that the good folks who run the San Francisco Giants should consider as they weigh their options in how to clean up the ridiculous incident that one of their players sparked Monday. After Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper with a 98 mph fastball -- and after Harper charged the mound and exchanged swings with Strickland -- the pitcher told reporters that he was just trying to pitch inside and didn't hit Harper on purpose. But a chocolate-smeared 4-year-old pleading ignorance about an emptied cookie jar would be more convincing. The Giants know better, because they know the history between Strickland and Harper, with the pitcher giving up two monster homers to the slugger during San Francisco's championship run of 2014. And Major League Baseball officials and Giants staffers know that if this situation continues on the typical trajectory, one of their players -- maybe Buster Posey, maybe Brandon Crawford -- is going to get thrown at, per the decades-old rules of engagement that typically go into effect when something like this happens. After Monday's game, Washington manager Dusty Baker said, "We're here to win the game. But we're not here to take any stuff, either ... we don't start anything, but we don't take nothing." Bryce Harper charged Hunter Strickland on Monday after getting hit by a pitch. AP Photo/Ben Margot The Giants could take pre-emptive action to try to alter the course of events and suspend or discipline Strickland on their own, to demonstrate to the Nationals -- to everybody -- what a lot of them probably believe anyway: That Strickland's actions were incredibly selfish, dangerous and way, way out of line and unacceptable to the San Francisco organization. Not only would this be the right thing to do, but it may also serve to defuse the potential for any sort of retaliation, because the message to the Nationals would be: We completely understand why you are upset; this is on Strickland, and we don’t agree, either. And maybe -- just maybe -- this could reduce the chances that Posey or another Giants player gets targeted with a fastball, in keeping with baseball's code of quid pro quo. A similar response has been taken in the past by other teams. In 1995, Armando Benitez gave up a grand slam to the Mariners’ Edgar Martinez, a moment of great frustration for the hard-throwing right-hander, and Benitez drilled the next hitter, Tino Martinez. Benitez was ejected and after the game, his locker was cleared out; Benitez told Orioles staffers that he was going to quit. The Orioles exiled him to the minors for a couple of weeks. Three years later, Benitez gave up a three-run homer to the Yankees’ Bernie Williams, and Benitez – one of the game’s hardest throwers – fired his next fastball at the next hitter, who happened to be Tino Martinez, again, touching off one of baseball’s worst fights. This is why

Martinez kept holding up two fingers as Orioles players held him back, referencing the two times that Benitez hit him, and it’s why Orioles players acknowledged to the Yankees during the fight that Benitez had been in the wrong, again. It's very possible that the Giants have expressed their anger over Strickland's actions already to the Nationals. The Washington players have undoubtedly seen the video of de facto Giants captain Posey holding his position rather than move to intercept Harper when the hitter charged Strickland. They’ve seen how long it took for other Giants players to reach Strickland, how the focus of the San Francisco players was not about widening the brawl and playing out other grievances; rather, a group of Giants hauled away an enraged Strickland. But the San Francisco organization would be wise to distance itself from the ridiculousness of what Strickland did by formally taking some sort of disciplinary action, with something substantive -- perhaps a suspension. And Strickland would be smart to agree to some kind of a plea bargain with the Giants, and take responsibility -- for the sake of his relationship with teammates, if nothing else. Because by acting on a grudge, he undoubtedly placed teammates at much greater risk of being hit in retaliation. Ultimately, it could be Posey or some other player who suffers the consequences of Strickland's decision. Some old-school baseball officials might argue that this should be left to the players to sort out, but that would be really stupid. Right now, everybody in baseball is fully aware of the heightened possibility that the Nationals will retaliate -- and that if properly executed, a fastball will be bounced off the back or butt of a Giants player. But it's also possible that the pitcher trying to execute the retaliation will miss his target and instead hit a jaw, just as Matt Barnes nearly did when he attempted to hit Manny Machado last month. And as the Orioles and Red Sox demonstrated with their series of beanballs last month, there are no hard and set guidelines in a situation like this. Different teams will have different interpretations about what is appropriate revenge. Eventually, commissioner Rob Manfred was compelled to step in and order both sides to stand down. Before it gets to that point, the Giants should do something. Yes, Hunter Strickland is their player, their teammate, but that doesn't mean they should sit back and pretend that what he did Monday was anything close to acceptable. ESPN 24 ways to remember Willie Mays Mark Simon and Sarah Langs Willie Mays is baseball royalty and a true giant of the game. Mays turned 86 and celebrated both the anniversary of his major league debut and his first home run this month. The latter was appropriate, given that it's the month of May. Tonight's Global Game telecast, pitting the Nationals against the San Francisco Giants, will pay tribute to Mays throughout and will include an interview with him during the game. It's important to know the history and the numbers behind an all-time great. To help prepare you for that, here are 24 stats to know about the story of the man who wore No. 24.

1) Mays hit .477 with 30 stolen bases in 35 games at the time of his recall from the Minneapolis Millers in 1951. Upon coming to the big leagues, he promptly went 1-for-26 in his first seven games. 2) That 1-for-26 included an 0-for-12 to start. His first hit was a home run off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. He'd hit 18 home runs vs. Spahn, his most off any pitcher, and Spahn’s most to any batter. Willie Mays Giants Career FRANCHISE RANK Hits 3,187 First HRs 646 First 2B 504 First 3B 139 Second OPS .949 Second RBIs 1,859 Second SB 336 Third 3) In A Tale of Two Cities, a video documenting the history of the Giants, the story was told of how Mays cried during his struggles, wanting to go home. “You’ll play Willie! You’ll play!” manager Leo Durocher said. Mays played 2,857 games for the Giants, most in franchise history. Only five players have played more games with a team than Mays: Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, Stan Musial, Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson. 4) Mays was on deck when Bobby Thomson hit one of the most famous home runs in baseball history, The Shot Heard Round the World, to win the pennant in a three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mays (then a rookie) admitted to being scared in the on-deck circle -- and for good reason. He was in a 2-for-30 slump. 5) Willie Mays received 75 percent of the vote for the 1951 Rookie of the Year award in the National League. The two players who also received votes combined for 19.8 career WAR: Chet Nichols (5.5) and Clem Labine (14.3). Mays finished his career with more than 156 WAR. 6) In the first 13 full seasons Mays played after returning from the military (1954-1966), he averaged 40 home runs, 109 RBIs and 21 stolen bases, with a slashline of .315/.390/.601. In that time, he totaled 124 Wins Above Replacement. 7) In 1957, Mays became part of a rare club as the third player in major league history with at least 20 home runs, 20 triples and 20 stolen bases in a season (the others were Buck Freeman in 1899 and Frank “Wildfire” Schulte in 1911). No one else hit that combination until 2007, when both Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins did. No one has done it since. 8) Mays was described as a five-tool player (hit, hit for power, run, field and throw). At various points in his career, he led the NL in runs, hits, triples, home runs, stolen bases (both number and percentage), walks, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

9) Mays won 12 Gold Glove Awards, tied with Roberto Clemente for most by an outfielder. He would have won more but for the fact that Gold Gloves weren’t awarded until 1957. His most famous catch came against Indians slugger Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series, though Mays said he made better defensive plays than that one. 10) You don’t need modern metrics to show how amazing Willie Mays is, but they do show it. His 156.2 Wins Above Replacement rank fifth all time. He had six 10-WAR seasons, tied for second all time. Only one active position player even has two (Mike Trout). 11) Six of the eight times Mays led all position players in WAR (regardless of league), he had at least a 1.5 win edge on the next player. In 1965, his 11.2 WAR were 3.4 wins better than that of the next position player, Hank Aaron. 12) Appropriately enough, Mays' highest career slugging percentage for a calendar month came in May, at .592. 13) Mays’ last RBI was a go-ahead hit in extra innings for the Mets against the Athletics in Game 2 of the 1973 World Series. At age 42, he’s the second-oldest player with a World Series RBI, 23 days younger than Pete Rose. 14) Ted Williams once said “They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays.” Mays was on the All-Star game roster in 20 seasons, tied with Stan Musial for second-most. Only Hank Aaron (21) appeared on the roster more. 15) Mays is one of five players who won multiple All-Star Game MVPs, along with Ripken, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter and Mike Trout. 16) Mays predominantly hit third, but he recorded at least 10 hits in each spot in the order from first to last. He has 2,236 hits at third in the order and 13 each in eighth and ninth. 17) Mays is one of 11 Hall of Famers born in Alabama and one of three Alabama natives with at least 500 home runs. Hank Aaron (755), Mays (660) and Mays’ longtime teammate Willie McCovey (521) are Alabama-born and hit 500 or more home runs. Mays is the only major leaguer born in Westfield, Alabama. Westfield has a population of just more than 2,200 people. 18) Mays had five career seasons with at least 10 triples. Only one active player has five or more such seasons: José Reyes (7). Willie Mays Career ALL-TIME RANK HRs 660 Fifth RBIs 1,903 Ninth Games 2,992 Ninth Hits 3,283 11th

19) Mays did not have a season in his career in which he played in at least 145 games and hit worse than .285. He had 14 such seasons. Only Mays' rival at the time, Hank Aaron, had more (15). 20) It if isn't already obvious, Mays was an important member of any lineup he was in. Overall, his teams went 1,643-1,345 when he played, a .550 win percentage. Mays' teams won pennants in 1951, 1954, 1962, 1971 and 1973. He, McCovey and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal also endured five consecutive second-place finishes from 1965 to 1969. 21) Mays is a member of the 3,000-hit club. He reached the mark on July 18, 1970, with a single off the Expos’ Mike Wegener. Mays finished with 3,283 hits, which ranks 11th all time. His 1,323 extra-base hits rank fifth all time. 22) Mays had 75 hits off Don Drysdale, his most off any pitcher. That’s the most hits Drysdale allowed to any single batter -- by 15 hits! Drysdale's second-highest total came off the bat of Roberto Clemente (60). 23) Willie Mays made $1.8 million in his career, and his highest salary was $125,000 in 1969 with the Giants. Inflation is of course an important caveat, but here are some Giants players making more than that this season: Nick Hundley, Aaron Hill, Will Smith, Brandon Belt, Eduardo Nunez, Matt Moore, Mark Melancon, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner, Denard Span, Hunter Pence, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Cain, Buster Posey and Johnny Cueto. Put another way, 15 players on the Giants' payroll this season are making more than Willie Mays did in his career. 24) Mays is inextricably linked to the number 24, but it isn’t the only one he has worn in the majors. During his first season in 1951, he wore both number 14 and number 24 at points. After that season, it was 24 all the way for The Say Hey Kid. He spent the most seasons in 24 of any other player in MLB history (since uniform numbers became worn across the majors and not just based on batting order or position in the late 1930s). ESPN Standings check: What rises and falls are in the forecast ESPN You can make all the predictions you want in spring training, but none of that matters when the games start. Now that it is more than a quarter of the way through the season, the hot and cold starts become legitimate indications of where teams will end up in October. Are the Astros and Rockies the best teams in baseball? Which rebuilding team is ahead of schedule? Who is going to make a run before the All-Star break? Our experts make their predictions. What's the first thing that jumps out to you when you look at the standings right now? Buster Olney: The three-team scrum in the NL West, which could greatly alter the wild-card landscape and make it much more difficult for teams in other divisions -- the Mets in the East; the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers and Pirates in the Central; and the Giants in the West -- to find room in the wild-card standings. I thought the Rockies and Diamondbacks would be better, but I didn't anticipate the NL West potentially fielding three of the top four records.

Sam Miller: How many "rebuilding" teams are in the thick of things. Last year's standings were so predictably divided between the teams that were trying and the ones that were not that baseball's unpredictability seemed in peril. This year, the Twins, Rockies, Brewers, Reds and Diamondbacks are re-establishing baseball as the Hope & Faith sport Bud Selig always dreamed of. David Schoenfield: The three-way race in the NL West -- one that doesn't include the Giants. The impressive thing is there hasn't been anything fluky in those results, as the Rockies and Diamondbacks have large run differentials, along with the Dodgers. The Rockies are winning on the road, Arizona's rotation has been stellar with the fifth-best ERA in the majors, and the Dodgers' depth has been a huge factor, with rookie Cody Bellinger bombing home runs and Alex Wood pitching like an All-Star. The Astros and Rockies have the best record in each league. Is it time to consider them the two best teams? Olney: The Rockies have been so reliant on rookie pitching that you wonder if those guys will hold up in August and September. But the Astros look like the AL's best team -- and baseball's best team -- now that Dallas Keuchel has returned to being a Cy Young candidate and Lance McCullers is healthy. There are high expectations within the industry that the Astros will trade for a starting pitcher and a reliever before the deadline to strengthen an already great team. Miller: The Astros, yes. While the Yankees have arguably played better -- if you look at underlying offensive and defensive performances, and strength of schedule -- the Astros have a stronger, deeper roster. The Rockies haven't lucked into their wins by any means, but the adage that no team is as good as it looks when it's winning is true here. Colorado is better than we gave it credit for, but it's more of a .500 roster. Schoenfield: No. You can easily make a case for the Nationals or Dodgers as the best team in the NL, and don't discount the Cubs from going on a big run at some point to get back into that discussion. The Astros certainly appear to be without any major weaknesses, but the rotation is thin, and they're relying heavily on Keuchel and McCullers to keep pitching like a pair of aces. I expect better baseball from the Indians, and David Price's return should boost the Red Sox. Corey Seager has hit two home runs against the Rockies this season. Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire Which team is headed for a big rise or drop in the standings in the future? Olney: The Indians have a deep lineup and a great bullpen, and the return of Corey Kluber should help their rotation get back in order. Two other factors might help the Indians: First, the Cleveland ownership is all-in to try to win in 2017 and 2018, so if roster needs develop, the Indians will do what it takes to plug holes before the July 31 deadline. Second, depending on how the Royals and Tigers play, each of those teams might consider summer sell-offs, which could help the playoff chances of division rivals. Miller: I expect the Rays to push the Yankees in the East. They have the AL's second-best offense and second-best pitching, according to Baseball Prospectus' advanced metrics. Over a full season, we expect results to catch up with underlying performances, which suggest the Rays should be scoring more runs, allowing fewer runs and winning more games than they have.

Schoenfield: The Twins have a little smoke-and-mirrors going on with the rotation, but maybe we're already seeing one team drop. The Orioles were flying high at 22-10, but have lost 13 of 16 since, including a seven-game losing streak heading into Memorial Day. You can't blame just the starting rotation, as they're just ninth in the AL in runs. In the tough AL East, the Orioles need to turn things around this week as they play the Yankees and Red Sox. Which team's place in the standings right now is the most disappointing (and do you think they can turn it around)? Olney: The Giants. Rival evaluators saw signs of trouble in spring training, signs of aging, but between Madison Bumgarner's motorbike accident and the lack of depth in the lineup, their problems have only deepened. Their outfield production has been easily the worst in baseball, and unless that stabilizes just a little and Bumgarner comes back better than ever in late July, it's hard to imagine them making a run at the NL West leaders. But I'm also surprised that the Indians have not played better to this point, especially with Michael Brantley part of the everyday lineup and with the Cleveland bullpen being so dominant. I still think the Indians will win this division handily, although they might need to add one of the many starting pitchers who will be available this summer. Miller: The Royals defied all of our expectations, conventional wisdom and projections for three years, but last year failed to. They could blame injuries for that, but this year's performance has collapsed. They've been the AL's worst team so far, with no indications of bad luck or a looming turnaround. Schoenfield: The Giants have dug themselves a big hole, but I'm going with the Cubs. In our preseason predictions, all 35 of us picked the Cubs to win the NL Central. They've hardly looked like the dominant team that made that forecast so easy. The rotation has a 4.50 ERA; heck, the Mariners have a 4.59 rotation ERA and have used 12 different starting pitchers. Once you get past Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist, there are legitimate OBP issues, especially with Kyle Schwarber. I still expect them to win the division, but it's not going to be a landslide victory. Which team's place in the standings is the biggest surprise in a good way (and do you think they can keep it up)? Olney: The Twins, who have gotten great work out of Ervin Santana and a recent injection from Jose Berrios. Their pitching is better and Miguel Sano has become one of the best and biggest threats in the middle of any order, with the damage he is doing. Miller: The Yankees were more credible going into the season than most of our predictions said, but there was no reason to expect elite. They have the AL's best offense and pitching, according to BP. I don't think they can keep that level up, but this is a playoff team and one that will be one of the most fun and colorful to watch in October. Schoenfield: The Twins. At the start of the season, I saw them as a team projected to win in the low 70s. Thanks to hot starts from Santana (a league-leading 1.80 ERA entering Monday's start) and Sano (tied for second in the AL in RBIs), they've played some good baseball. The defense is better, and if Berrios' first three starts are legit, maybe the Twins can surprise. But I just don't see the rotation depth (they're last in the league in strikeouts) to keep this going, and the offense isn't powerful enough to carry the pitching.

What do you think the Yankees' final record will be and why? Olney: 93-69. They have a deep roster and I'd bet they'll trade for one of the better controllable starters in the market -- a Sonny Gray, a Gerrit Cole or a Jose Quintana. Miller: 91-71. It's a tough division and, without much pitching depth, they're a little bit more vulnerable to a rotation-altering injury than most of their competition. Schoenfield: I'll go 91-71. I had them winning the wild card at the start of the season, so I liked them more than most teams. Aaron Judge's emergence makes them even better, and they have the farm system to make a couple of trades in July, especially if they need to add a starting pitcher. The offense has been the best in the league, and that's without any production from first base. Sorry, Yankees haters, this is a good team. What do you think the Cubs' final record will be and why? Olney: 92-70. I think there will be a bounce-back, but the lack of rotation depth and the struggles of Schwarber are becoming more serious with each passing week. Miller: 91-71. It usually takes more than 50 games to drastically reconsider a team's talent level. It would take more than 162 games for me to drastically reconsider a team as obviously good as the Cubs are. It remains a practically perfect roster and a practically perfect organization. Schoenfield: I'll go 91-71. You can call it a World Series hangover. I'll call it a slow start. The starting pitchers can't really pitch any worse, but as bad as Jake Arrieta and John Lackey have been, they still have excellent strikeout rates, suggesting better results moving forward. Rizzo, Schwarber, Addison Russell and Willson Contreras are all capable of better production. I think the Cubs go on a 20-5 run at some point and win the division. Quick predictions reset -- give us your division winners and wild cards? Olney: I don't like to do resets. I'll stick with my preseason picks, both bad (Jays and Mariners as division winners) and good (Yankees as a playoff team). Miller: In the American League, the division winners are Astros, Indians and Yankees; and the wild cards are Rays and Red Sox. In the National League, the division winners are Dodgers, Cubs and Nationals; and the wild cards are Cardinals and Rockies. Schoenfield: In the AL, the division winners are Red Sox, Indians and Astros; and the wild cards are Yankees and Rays. In the NL, the division winners are Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers; and the wild cards are Rockies and Diamondbacks. ESPN By hitting Bryce Harper, Hunter Strickland stupidly puts teammates at risk

David Schoenfield Baseball's complicated relationship with hit-by-pitches just got a lot more complicated. Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper in the hip with a 98 mph fastball in Monday's Washington Nationals-San Francisco Giants game, with the obvious intention of hitting Harper in the hip. Harper charged the mound, sort of threw his helmet and exchanged punches with Strickland, with both landing blows on each other's faces. The benches cleared, order was restored and it eventually took four teammates to drag Strickland into the tunnel connected to the Giants dugout. It was pure bush league from Strickland, and that was made clear by catcher Buster Posey's reaction. Posey stood behind home plate as Harper charged the mound, a thousand words spoken with his motionless pose. The pitch was likely thrown as a ridiculous retaliation for the two home runs Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs, including this monster mash that Harper watched -- it was right down the line -- before starting his home run trot: That was the last time Strickland faced Harper. So he has been stewing on those two home runs for more than a thousand days, itching to get back at Harper for ... what? For his own bad pitching? For Harper's staring at a ball a second too long? Here's an idea: Don't give up home runs. Harper would send that message after the game, telling reporters, "It's so in the past it's not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don't think he should be even thinking about what happened in the first round." It would seem Strickland's teammates would agree with Harper. As Eduardo Perez pointed out on the ESPN telecast, the Giants infielders took their time before budging from their positions. Their message matched Posey's: You're on your own, buddy. The benches eventually emptied, with Jeff Samardzija charging after Harper like a medieval jouster on a horse, only to charge right into a nasty collision with his own teammate. There was more hair flying around than at a senior prom in 1987. There will be suspensions. Harper, while understandably ticked off, couldn't contain his emotions in the heat of the moment. At least he might have realized at the last moment that throwing his helmet right at Strickland wasn't smart. He also risked injury in charging the mound; who knows what can happen in one of those pileups on the mound? Still, you trying remaining calm when somebody just fired a projectile at you at 98 mph. "A baseball is a weapon," Harper said, adding that "sometimes you've got to go and get him. You can't hesitate. You can either go to first base or you go after him. And I decided to go after him." Because both guys threw punches, last year's Rougned Odor-Jose Bautista fight is an apt comparison. Odor drew an eight-game suspension (reduced to seven) for throwing a punch, and Bautista drew a one-game suspension for his actions and postgame comments. Samardzija could also face a suspension for "aggressive" actions, similar to Elvis Andrus' game suspension in that Rangers-Blue Jays brawl.

One of the ongoing subplots of the 2017 seasons -- similar to every other season -- is the debate over pitchers throwing at hitters. When is it appropriate? When is it not appropriate? When do you seek retribution? What, ultimately, does it solve when you do retaliate? The one thing everyone basically agrees on is that pitches at the head are unacceptable in any situation. That's why everyone got worked up when Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes threw a pitch near Manny Machado's head in April. In theory, Strickland's pitch was acceptable because it was thrown at Harper's hip and not up-and-in. That, however, doesn't make it excusable. In no way does Harper's watching that home run justify Strickland's pitch, even if thrown in a relatively safe location. What comes next? Strickland might have put Posey in danger, as he's the obvious target if the Nationals seek revenge. One suggestion could be that longer suspensions are necessary in an attempt to limit unnecessary beanings. Or should this be something that players legislate themselves? They're the ones playing the games. After all, if Harper -- or Nationals pitchers -- do nothing, it essentially gives opponents free reign to throw at him. This was one of the subtexts of the heated Red Sox-Yankees rivalry in the 2000s, when it was believed that Pedro Martinez and Red Sox pitchers eventually gained an edge by throwing at or inside to Yankees hitters, while Yankees pitchers didn't retaliate often enough. What to do? I have no idea. Hit by pitches totals aren't going down; they're actually double the rate of the early 1980s, though some of that comes from hitters' crowding and diving over the plate. I suspect that until we get a major injury, things will continue as they are now: an eye for an eye. Which means Posey better come to the plate Tuesday with a little extra padding on his body. ESPN Barry Zito performs 2 songs from 'No Secrets' album during Memorial Day ceremony Associated Press Former San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito performed two songs from his "No Secrets" album during a Memorial Day ceremony before Monday's game. The 2002 AL Cy Young award winner played guitar and sang vocals. His album, released in January, made Americana/Folk Album and Country Album charts. ESPN Harper, Strickland traded punches, Nationals beat Giants 3-0 Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO -- Drilled in the hip by a heater, Bryce Harper knew where this was headed. In a hurry, too. "You see red," he said.

Enraged, the Washington slugger charged the mound, wildly fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with reliever Hunter Strickland, setting off a furious brawl Monday during the Nationals' 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. "You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can't hesitate," Harper said. "You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him." The two players have a history, stemming from two home runs Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs. "I can see how that stands in people's minds," Strickland said. This flashpoint came in their first matchup since then -- with two outs in the eighth inning, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball. Harper didn't wait. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off. "My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that," he said. No one got in Harper's way as he rushed the mound. Giants star catcher Buster Posey stuck near the plate when Harper bolted, and stayed clear of the fracas as things escalated. "Strick and him are the only ones that can answer why" the fight happened, Posey said. Posey got a concussion last month from a beaning. He said he wasn't thinking about that accident, but was concerned about injuries. "There were some big guys tumbling around out there," he said. "So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes." Harper's eyes were wide as he flung his helmet -- it wasn't close to Strickland, it might've slipped, helmets are hard to throw accurately -- and they started swinging away. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied. "I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess," Harper said. Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. "I'm OK, but why is that news?" Morse said. "I was trying to get in there to break everyone up." Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper.

Harper and Strickland were both ejected, and are certain to face punishment from Major League Baseball. No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper attributed a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl. In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases. "I wasn't sure what was going on, but I think (the Giants) were definitely shocked at the situation, shocked that he would do something like that three years later," Harper said. "It just wasn't relevant. Like I said, it was three years ago, over a thousand days, I guess," Harper said. "I don't know why he's thinking about it. He's got a World Series ring. It's on his finger and he's able to look at it every single night." Angry, Harper did at least appreciate there was no head-hunting. "One thing I've got to say about Strickland is he hit me in the right spot, so I do respect him for that," Harper said. "He didn't come up and in toward my face like some guys do, so I respect him on that level." Strickland said he missed his spot. "I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him," he said. "He's taken advantage of that, so I went inside. Obviously, I got in a little too far." "He decided to come out, that's what he decided to do. It's go time. You protect yourself and stand your own ground," he said. "And I'll take what consequences come with it. I was pretty fired up, to be honest. It's part of the game." Giants manager Bruce Bochy framed it for everyone. "It looks bad, it does," he said. "Harper gets hit and you look at a guy who's given up some home runs, and he'll tell you that he was trying to come in. You don't want to make a mistake there. You have two guys who don't care for each other too much. It was a pretty good pile." Nationals manager Dusty Baker had no doubt about Strickland's intent. "We were ahead 2-0, two outs and nobody on base. I mean, that's the prime time to hit somebody if you're going to hit them, it looked like it was intentional to me," he said. "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag, he's human with emotions. I know he took (Strickland) deep in the playoffs a couple of times and he probably took exception to that. I mean baseball is a game where you don't forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time." Too long in the estimation of Harper and his teammates.

"Completely uncalled for," Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy said. "Bryce hits one ... off him in a big spot from what I understand, I think I remember seeing it live, and Hunter waits three years. I think if the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would've gotten one the next season." Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, Harper's teammate in 2014, said the incident shouldn't come as that big a surprise. "You can't assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do," he said. "History is history, some people hold it longer than others." Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. Koda Glover pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his sixth save. Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6). Murphy hit an RBI double in his first game after missing three games due to illness. UP NEXT LHP Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) is 4-4 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 starts against the Giants. Samardzija (1-6, 4.50) is 2-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 appearances (seven starts) against Washington and 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts against the Nationals. ESPN Bryce Harper, Hunter Strickland start bench-clearing brawl between Nats, Giants ESPN news services Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper charged San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland in the eighth inning of the teams' game Monday, leading to a bench-clearing brawl between the clubs. Strickland plunked Harper in the hip with a 98 mph fastball. Harper then gestured at Strickland with his bat, strode to the mound and threw his helmet at the Giants pitcher before the two exchanged blows as benches cleared. "You either go to first base or you go after him, and I decided to go after him," Harper said of his decision to charge the mound. It was the first time the two had met since Harper hit two home runs off Strickland during the 2014 National League Division Series between the Nationals and Giants. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander had to be carried off the field by several San Francisco teammates to keep him away from the melee. Despite their history, Harper said he didn't step into Monday's at-bat thinking Strickland would hit him. "No, not in that situation," Harper said. "Especially since it's been three years and they won the World Series that year.

"So I wasn't really thinking about it at all. But when somebody comes at you like that, throws a 90 mph fastball where he did, I wasn't very happy with it and took it into my hands and tried to go after him." Giants manager Bruce Bochy admitted that Strickland hitting Harper "looked bad." "Harper gets hit. You're looking at a guy [Strickland] who has given up some home runs, and he'll tell you he was trying to come in, didn't want to make a mistake there. But it looks bad," Bochy said. "So you had two guys who probably don't care for each other much." Strickland said he was trying to pitch inside and that once Harper charged the mound "it was go time," but the pitcher said he wasn't trying to hit the Nationals slugger. "I can see how [our history] kind of stands in people's minds, but that's the past," Strickland said. "Like I said, I left the ball over the plate a couple times to him. He's taken advantage of that. So obviously I'd rather miss in than over the plate." Washington manager Dusty Baker seemed to believe Strickland's errant pitch was thrown on purpose. "We're ahead 2-0, two outs, nobody on base," Baker said. "That's a prime time to hit somebody if you're gonna hit him. It looked like it was intentional to me." While Harper didn't enjoy being hit, he said he is glad that Strickland went about it the way he did. "One thing I've got to say about Strickland is he hit me in the right spot, so I do respect him for that," Harper said. "He didn't come up and in toward my face like some guys do, so I respect him on that level." Despite respecting Strickland for where he threw, Harper said he isn't sure why the Giants reliever is holding a grudge. "It just wasn't relevant. Like I said, it was three years ago, over a thousand days I guess. I don't know why he's thinking about it," Harper said. "He's got a World Series ring. It's on his finger and he's able to look at it every single night." Both players were ejected from the game. It was the first time Harper had been tossed for fighting in a game. For Strickland, it was the first time he had hit an opposing batter this season in 21 appearances. Major League Baseball will review the incident, as is the league's customary protocol following all fights. "You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can't hesitate," Harper said. Both managers were happy that all of their players walked away unscathed. "It's unfortunate," Bochy said. "It was a pretty good pile, so we're probably lucky somebody on either side didn't get hurt."

Asked if his instinct coming out of the dugout is to get Harper out of there, Baker said, "My first reaction is I can't get there as quickly as I used to. My second reaction is I don't want to get anyone stepped on or hurt." While catchers are often expected to serve as interference between their pitcher and a charging player, Giants catcher Buster Posey largely stayed away from the fray. "There were some big guys tumbling around out there,'' said Posey, who recently spent time on the disabled list with a concussion. "So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.'' The Nationals went on to claim a 3-0 victory in the series opener. Sports Illustrated Buster Posey draws unwanted attention after failure to step in during brawl Ken Rosenthal Buster Posey didn’t move. The Nationals’ Bryce Harper charged the mound Monday after getting hit by Giants reliever Hunter Strickland, and Posey stood motionless behind the plate rather than defend his pitcher, jogging toward the melee only after Harper threw his helmet and punches started to fly. My initial thought was that Posey, the Giants’ catcher, was the sanest man on the field. But I knew that some players might see it differently, believing that teammates should always stand up for each other. And when I texted one Giants player afterward to ask his opinion of Posey’s evident indifference, he summed up his conflicting emotions perfectly. “I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t know.” Strickland acted foolishly with his seeming retaliation for the two home runs that Harper hit off him in the 2014 Division Series. Harper, who was hit on the hip, not anywhere near the head, could have laughed at Strickland on his way to first base—though that is easy for a casual observer to say; it’s different, always different, in the heat of the moment. Posey’s failure to attempt to restrain Harper, though, is the greatest curiosity, one that is likely to spur debate about the Giants’ franchise player and one of the game’s great role models. The former MVP’s seeming disavowal of Strickland evoked the recent memory of Dustin Pedroia’s “it wasn’t me” response to Manny Machado after the Red Sox’s Matt Barnes threw at Machado’s head. Each of these on-field incidents, though, is different. The Pedroia-Machado exchange happened after the fact. Posey’s “Atlas Shrugged” moment occurred in real time. Brian Gorman, the plate umpire, reached the mound much quicker than Posey, who stood at his position for a good five seconds before finally moving. Posey’s body language suggested that he was exasperated with Strickland. He had every right to be exasperated with Strickland. And he told reporters afterward that his recent concussions were not the reason for his inaction.

Many fans, reporters and even some in the game believe that all of this needs to stop, that pitchers need to stop throwing at hitters, that the risk of injury — either from the ball that is thrown or any subsequent brawl—is simply too great. But a good number of players, perhaps even a majority, would oppose a ban on such conduct, believing that they need an outlet to police themselves. It’s easy to say those players are wrong, just as it’s easy to say that some were wrong to oppose new rules that were designed to enhance safety at home plate and at second base. Major League Baseball needs to be sensitive to player concerns, understand that the game cannot be completely legislated from Park Avenue. But as I’ve written before, if players are going to apply unwritten rules, then at least execute them properly — or maybe lose the privilege, once and for all. Strickland aimed his pitch at the right part of Harper’s body; the problem was, he had no good reason to hit Harper in the first place, and put Posey in jeopardy if the Nationals decide to retaliate in kind. So the reliever’s act, too, was a distortion of the unwritten rules. And Strickland, even after triggering the ugliness, would not calm down. It took three Giants — Hunter Pence, George Kontos and Mac Williamson — to drag the pitcher into the dugout. The Giants, winners of three World Series between 2010 and ’14, are in unfamiliar territory—nine games under .500, 11 games out of first place. Posey twice has been caught on camera expressing his frustration with first baseman Brandon Belt. And perhaps Monday’s madness was, in some ways, another sign of the team’s overall frustration, though Strickland probably does not deserve such a sympathetic view. Posey was in an uncomfortable position in the moment. He is in an uncomfortable position in the aftermath. What that means for Strickland’s future with the club—and the rest of the Giants’ season—remains to be seen. Fox Sports What if Buster Posey was following pitcher’s wishes in allowing Bryce Harper to charge mound? Ken Rosenthal What if Buster Posey knew? What if Giants reliever Hunter Strickland told Posey that he was going to drill the Nationals’ Bryce Harper – and that Posey should not intervene if Harper charged the mound, not try to prevent a fight? A coach with another club reached out to me and relayed that theory after I posted my original column on Posey late Monday night, a column that examined the catcher’s decision to stand frozen behind the plate as Harper went after Strickland. I then contacted a source with knowledge of the situation, and he said that the rival coach’s theory was correct. Posey, the source said, was drawing unfair criticism for failing to defend his teammate when in reality he was adhering to his teammate’s – or perhaps manager Bruce Bochy’s – wishes. Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, according to reports on Twitter, said on KNBR Radio on Tuesday morning that Posey is under an order to “stay out” of fights, but did not say who issued the order.

If such an order exists, or if it Strickland in this case made the request of Posey, not all of the Giants were aware of it. One Giant, when I asked if the players were OK with Posey not standing up for Strickland, seemed torn by Posey’s actions, unsure of what to think. He made no mention of any agreement between the two. “I don’t know,” he said, “I really don’t know.” The Giants could never acknowledge Posey’s understanding with Strickland, if indeed there was such an understanding, for it would be tantamount to admitting intent. Strickland, who had not hit a batter all season and just four in his 156-game career prior to Monday, offered the usual explanation afterward, telling reporters that he was only trying to pitch inside. Few will believe that — those who know Strickland were not surprised that he wanted to settle a score with Harper for the two mammoth home runs that the Nationals’ slugger hit off him in the 2014 Division Series. And perhaps few will believe that Posey was a willing accomplice to an incident that effectively left him open to retaliation in the eye-for-an-eye world of baseball justice — if my best player gets hit, then so does yours. So many questions. Posey, assuming he knew of Strickland’s intentions, probably could not have talked him out of hitting Harper, not when the reliever seemingly was hellbent on unleashing more than 2½ years of anger. But Posey at least could have done a better acting job — running after Harper, even halfheartedly — instead of remaining motionless. The other possibility, of course, is that Posey felt no obligation to defend the indefensible. My initial thought, in fact, was that Posey was the sanest man on the field. Strickland was foolish to act on a grudge that did not diminish even with the Giants’ triumph in the 2014 World Series. Harper, who was hit on the hip, not anywhere near the head, could have just laughed at Strickland on his way to first base — though that is easy for a casual observer to say; it’s different, always different, in the heat of the moment. The idea of Posey disavowing Strickland evokes the recent memory of Dustin Pedroia’s “it wasn’t me” explanation to Manny Machado after the Red Sox’s Matt Barnes threw at Machado’s head. Each of these on-field incidents, though, is different. The Pedroia-Machado exchange happened after the fact. Posey’s “Atlas Shrugged” moment occurred in real time. Brian Gorman, the plate umpire, reached the mound much quicker than Posey, who stood at his position for a good five seconds before finally moving. Posey told reporters that his recent concussions were not the reason for his inaction, but acknowledged the risk of injury, saying, “Those were some big guys tumbling around. (Michael) Morse was in there. As big as he is, he was getting knocked around like a pinball.” Many fans, reporters and even some in the game believe that all of this needs to stop, that pitchers need to stop throwing at hitters, that the risk of injury — either from the ball that is thrown or any subsequent brawl — is simply too great. But a good number of players, perhaps even a majority, would oppose a ban on such conduct, believing that they need an outlet to police themselves.

It’s easy to say those players are wrong, just as it’s easy to say that some were wrong to oppose new rules that were designed to enhance safety at home plate and at second base. Major League Baseball needs to be sensitive to player concerns, understand that the game cannot be completely legislated from Park Avenue. But as I’ve written before, if players are going to apply unwritten rules, then at least execute them properly — or maybe lose the privilege, once and for all. Strickland aimed his pitch at the right part of Harper’s body; the problem was, he had no good reason to hit Harper in the first place, and put Posey in jeopardy if the Nationals decide to retaliate in kind. So the reliever’s act, too, was a distortion of the unwritten rules. And Strickland, even after triggering the ugliness, would not calm down. It took three Giants — Hunter Pence, George Kontos and Mac Williamson — to drag the pitcher into the dugout. The Giants, winners of three World Series between 2010 and ’14, are in unfamiliar territory — nine games under .500, 11 games out of first place. Posey twice has been caught on camera expressing his frustration with first baseman Brandon Belt. And perhaps Monday’s madness was, in some ways, another sign of the team’s overall frustration, though Strickland probably does not deserve such a sympathetic view. Posey is the Giants’ franchise player, one of the game’s great models. Perhaps we’ll never know why he reacted the way he did. But the questions will linger, whether he was a party to a teammate’s retaliation or a conscientious objector. Fox Sports Buster Posey draws unwanted attention after failure to step in during brawl Ken Rosenthal Buster Posey didn’t move. The Nationals’ Bryce Harper charged the mound Monday after getting hit by Giants reliever Hunter Strickland, and Posey stood motionless behind the plate rather than defend his pitcher, jogging toward the melee only after Harper threw his helmet and punches started to fly. My initial thought was that Posey, the Giants’ catcher, was the sanest man on the field. But I knew that some players might see it differently, believing that teammates should always stand up for each other. And when I texted one Giants player afterward to ask his opinion of Posey’s evident indifference, he summed up his conflicting emotions perfectly. “I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t know.” Strickland acted foolishly with his seeming retaliation for the two home runs that Harper hit off him in the 2014 Division Series. Harper, who was hit on the hip, not anywhere near the head, could have laughed at Strickland on his way to first base — though that is easy for a casual observer to say; it’s different, always different, in the heat of the moment.

Posey’s failure to attempt to restrain Harper, though, is the greatest curiosity, one that is likely to spur debate about the Giants’ franchise player and one of the game’s great role models. The former MVP’s seeming disavowal of Strickland evoked the recent memory of Dustin Pedroia’s “it wasn’t me” response to Manny Machado after the Red Sox’s Matt Barnes threw at Machado’s head. Each of these on-field incidents, though, is different. The Pedroia-Machado exchange happened after the fact. Posey’s “Atlas Shrugged” moment occurred in real time. Brian Gorman, the plate umpire, reached the mound much quicker than Posey, who stood at his position for a good five seconds before finally moving. Posey’s body language suggested that he was exasperated with Strickland. He had every right to be exasperated with Strickland. And he told reporters afterward that his recent concussions were not the reason for his inaction. Many fans, reporters and even some in the game believe that all of this needs to stop, that pitchers need to stop throwing at hitters, that the risk of injury — either from the ball that is thrown or any subsequent brawl — is simply too great. But a good number of players, perhaps even a majority, would oppose a ban on such conduct, believing that they need an outlet to police themselves. It’s easy to say those players are wrong, just as it’s easy to say that some were wrong to oppose new rules that were designed to enhance safety at home plate and at second base. Major League Baseball needs to be sensitive to player concerns, understand that the game cannot be completely legislated from Park Avenue. But as I’ve written before, if players are going to apply unwritten rules, then at least execute them properly — or maybe lose the privilege, once and for all. Strickland aimed his pitch at the right part of Harper’s body; the problem was, he had no good reason to hit Harper in the first place, and put Posey in jeopardy if the Nationals decide to retaliate in kind. So the reliever’s act, too, was a distortion of the unwritten rules. And Strickland, even after triggering the ugliness, would not calm down. It took three Giants — Hunter Pence, George Kontos and Mac Williamson — to drag the pitcher into the dugout. The Giants, winners of three World Series between 2010 and ’14, are in unfamiliar territory — nine games under .500, 11 games out of first place. Posey twice has been caught on camera expressing his frustration with first baseman Brandon Belt. And perhaps Monday’s madness was, in some ways, another sign of the team’s overall frustration, though Strickland probably does not deserve such a sympathetic view. Posey was in an uncomfortable position in the moment. He is in an uncomfortable position in the aftermath. What that means for Strickland’s future with the club — and the rest of the Giants’ season — remains to be seen. Fox Sports Bryce Harper gets hit by pitch, igniting wild Nationals-Giants brawl Barry Werner Bryce Harper kicked off a Memorial Day brawl between his Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants.

In the top of the eighth inning of Monday’s game, Harper took a pitch from the Giants’ Hunter Strickland off the hip, then pointed his bat at the San Francisco pitcher and charged the mound, landing a punch or two in the ensuing fracas. The benches soon cleared and everyone got involved. The Nationals were leading the game 3-0 at the time and went on to win by the same score. Why the tension? It might trace back to the 2014 NL Division Series, believe it or not. Harper hit two home runs off Strickland in the series. After his second, a mammoth shot in Game 4 to tie the game in the seventh inning, he gave Strickland an extended staredown as he rounded the bases. Strickland, however, gave a different explanation after the game, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area: Strickland said trying to go inside because he left NLDS pitches over plate. "I can see how (2014) stays in people's minds. That's the past" Strickland on Harper charging: "It's go time. You've gotta protect yourself and stand your own ground." Major League Baseball will likely review the incident and determine whether suspensions and/or fines are proper punishment for those involved in the brawl. Fox Sports Scott Boras: Bryce Harper deserves lesser penalty from Nationals-Giants brawl Ken Rosenthal As the Giants and Nationals await the discipline for Monday’s brawl, agent Scott Boras contends that his client, Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, deserves a lesser penalty than some other players receive when they charge the mound. Boras told FOX Sports on Tuesday that because there had been no “notice of provocation” between the Giants and Nationals, Harper should not be treated as harshly as a player who expects to be hit with a pitch and then tries to fight the pitcher. Harper charged the mound Monday after Giants reliever Hunter Strickland drilled him in the hip, seemingly in retaliation for the two home runs that Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 Division Series between the clubs. “In this situation, there is nothing prior between the clubs, no notice to the player, just a paroxysm of rage, self-centered behavior that was out of bounds,” Boras said, referring to Strickland. “This wasn’t about a player’s team. It was about a self-centered act. “Major League Baseball cannot allow this to be a County Fair duck shoot — ‘Here, I’m going to do something for myself.’ Because of that immediate sense of fear a player has when someone throws the ball 100 mph at him, his response is not any way like it normally is when you have a notice of provocation.

“(Harper’s) response was an act of fear … a moment of reaction to a dangerous stimulus. He was unmindful and unaware … It’s very different from a player who is aware of a situation where immediate and or current previous acts of provocation have occurred.” Yahoo Sports Bryce Harper vs. Hunter Strickland: The ridiculousness of basebrawling shows itself again Jeff Passan Over the course of 45 seconds Monday afternoon, a goon with a history of brainlessness hit one of the best players in baseball with a 98-mph fastball to the hip, the player responded by charging the mound and giffing his way into history with the most impotent helmet throw imaginable, the goon’s catcher watched the trainwreck unfold in front of him like a figure at Madame Tussauds, two of the goon’s teammates tried to save him and instead ran into one another, and three more of the goon’s teammates dragged him off the field and into a tunnel as he acted like someone who were he not wearing a San Francisco Giants uniform might be on the wrong end of a Taser. And that was the most intelligent part of the day. Seriously, have you ever heard baseball players try to explain away the nonsense that goes on when a pitcher brandishes the five-ounce ball in his hand and chucks it at a batter? Baseball’s labyrinthine unwritten rules force players to twist themselves into logical pretzels, and none is anywhere near a talented enough contortionist to extract himself from the foolishness the game teaches. It’s bad enough when the pitcher — in this case, Hunter Strickland — tries to deny hitting the batter intentionally. For nearly three years, Strickland had bottled up fury that Bryce Harper, the hitter, walloped a pair of home runs off him in a 2014 playoff series the Giants actually won on their way to a World Series championship. The rationale here is delightful. Strickland was bad at his job. Harper was good at his job. Ipso facto, Harper deserves to get hit with a 98-mph fastball. Harper, of course, knows better than to succumb to a 1,000-day-grudge-carrying lummox. He has been a target for the aggrieved, the jealous, the foolish since the day he was drafted. To get baited by Hunter Strickland, of all people, is just unbecoming. It’s more than that, though, so much more. It’s Harper’s manager with the Nationals, Dusty Baker, saying, “What’s a man supposed to do?” and acting like it’s some rhetorical question instead of one with an obvious answer: walk to first base. And it’s Harper copping to having that choice and opting for one that will get him suspended: “You either go to first base, or you go after him. And I decided to go after him.” And in the next couple days, it will be Major League Baseball, tagging Strickland with a few games off and Harper with a few himself and telling players this sort of behavior is perfectly cool. It stinks. The whole thing stinks. It stinks that Hunter Strickland believes it’s OK to hunt a human being with a ball, and it stinks that Bryce Harper believes it’s OK to endanger not just himself but his teammates with the collateral damage that comes from benches clearing, and it stinks that MLB isn’t willing to fight the MLB Players Association for longer suspensions, and it stinks that the union advocates the merits of its members fighting one another every time these piddling suspensions come down.

That’s how screwed up this is: The players actually believe this is necessary. What Strickland did Monday afternoon – it happens all the time. A few years ago, one big league pitcher recalled a player going into second base spikes-high against his college team. He never saw the guy again until the upper reaches of the minor leagues. “Hit him with the first pitch,” the pitcher said. He laughed. Pitchers never, ever forget. Sprinkled among the manifest ridiculousness was one statement reminding that even in the primordial ooze of baseball wisdom there remains some hope for it changing. When … 1. Bryce Harper said “A baseball is a weapon,” he encapsulated the entirety of this issue that already revealed itself this season with the Manny Machado-Red Sox chicanery. Just think about that: The former National League MVP, and the frontrunner for the award this year, is saying the implement most vital to the game is a weapon when in the wrong hands. Left unsaid is that those who choose to use it as such are punished with all the ferocity of five lashes with a spaghetti noodle. The penalty shouldn’t be any bigger when a pitcher throws at Harper or Machado, per se. It merely highlights the danger of such actions in a game that already struggles with creating stars. For most of the season, the Nationals have carried the best record in the National League due in large part to Harper’s exploits, and the prospect of losing a .331/.443/.663 bat on account of childishness and machismo – well, that sounds like the sort of thing everyone in the game should be working together to exterminate. In the meantime, Harper escaped with the greatest wound — that to his pride for trying to chuck his helmet at Strickland — and watching it sail instead toward right field. If only the injury to … 2. Mike Trout were so benign. Trout tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb sliding into second base Sunday. He’ll undergo surgery that will sideline him for at least six weeks, likelier two months and perhaps beyond. Never in his previous 5½ seasons had Trout hit the disabled list. Devastating as this is for the Angels, it may be worse for baseball, which was getting to see what looked like Peak Trout. That in and of itself is incredible considering pre-Peak Trout won a pair of American League MVPs and finished second the three times he didn’t. This version — .337/.461/.742, piling up WAR like he’s a neocon — was Trout churning along at gigabit speed. An injury on a play so benign is nothing short of cruel. If there’s a silver lining, it allows others to pick up the spotlight slack and fill that vacuum of greatness. And dangerous as it is to call any Colorado Rockies hitter great because of the inherent advantages of playing in Coors Field, it’s safe at this point to put … 3. Charlie Blackmon in that category. Blackmon didn’t get full-time bats until his 27th birthday, didn’t hit for the requisite power of a Rockies outfielder until he hit 29 and now, at 30, is his fully realized, on-the-way-to-record-breaking self. Now, the record isn’t altogether meaningful, in that it involves runs batted in, which, as every 10 Degrees reader should understand by now, depend as much on teammates’ production as a particular player’s. Still, Blackmon’s NL-leading 45 RBIs are remarkably impressive considering they come out of the leadoff spot, the second-worst place in a lineup to drive in runs. Only Darin Erstad has reached the

100-RBI mark hitting first, and that was on an AL team without the pitcher in front of him and in a season during which those 100 RBIs ranked 30th in the league. Blackmon is not a perfect player by any means. He’s a free swinger. He never walks. His center field defense leaves enough to be desired, though it is plenty adequate. Between his speed and gap-to-gap power with an extra gear to drive the ball over the fence, Blackmon’s offense more than makes up for whatever other shortcomings there may be. He’s not just a table setter. He’s a table clearer, too. He’s even got more RBIs than … 4. Aaron Judge, who hit his major league-leading 17th home run Monday. It was a typical Judge tractor beam, on a line to center field, seemingly effortless for those who don’t recognize the difficulty in hitting a ball as hard as Judge consistently does. It’s getting to the point now that with All-Star voting nearing its first public reveal, we’ll see just how much the public appreciates Judge’s exploits. He deserves to be the first AL rookie to start an All-Star Game since the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui in 2003 – and the first who didn’t come from Nippon Professional Baseball since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990. To say that more than a quarter century has passed since baseball has seen anyone like Judge is no exaggeration. A month ago, we called him Giancarlo Stanton 2.0. After chasing his .303/.411/.750 April with a .333/.426/.632 May, it’s even safer to say that Judge is the goods and here to stay. And it sets a standard for the city that … 5. Michael Conforto is trying to meet down in Queens. Remember, at the beginning of the season, the question about Conforto wasn’t whether he could play. It’s whether he would, or if the Mets would send him down to Triple-A to tool with his service time. Forty-five games and 13 home runs later, Conforto has been their MVP and saved them from complete ruin as the pitching staff and manager Terry Collins try to one-up one another in a game of Let’s See Who Melts Down First! Even more, Conforto has reignited a question that two years ago made for a popular bet in baseball circles: Who would be a better major league hitter, Conforto or Kyle Schwarber? It wasn’t exactly Trout vs. Harper, but both were first-round draft picks in 2014 (Schwarber fourth to the Cubs, Conforto 10th to the Mets), both finished their rookie seasons in 2015 with the exact same OPS+ (130) and both had forgettable 2016 regular seasons (Schwarber’s because of a torn ACL, Conforto’s because of poor production). Schwarber entered this year far better regarded. He’s now hitting .173/.294/.339 while Conforto slashes to the tune of .320/.412/.653. It might be the most surprising offensive output in the NL this year if not for … 6. Zack Cozart and his anomalous freakishness. Cozart is nearly 32 years old, and 32-year-old career shortstops do not typically evolve from career 82 OPS+ hitters into what Cozart is this season: a .344/.422/.569-slashing monster who is hitting like no one ever has seen. Some of the power did show up in recent years for Cincinnati, but Cozart’s greatest stride in production concerns his plate discipline. Never in terribly good command of the strike zone, Cozart is walking at nearly twice the rate he did in seasons past. His command of when to swing has allowed him to take whacks at better pitches. And it doesn’t hurt when they’re dropping more than 40 percent of the time, an absurd clip for any hitter that’s almost certain to bring his bat back to earth at some point.

Until then, the combination of skill and luck has changed the perception on Cozart. Not only can teams in need of a bat this July count on Cozart’s availability, they would get the added bonus of his glove, which is still well above average. After that comes an even more interesting free agency, during which teams will need to ask themselves: Exactly which Zack Cozart are we getting? It’s a familiar question during the offseason, and one teams pondered when … 7. Ervin Santana was a free agent in 2014. There were suitors, sure, but the Minnesota Twins were the only ones willing to go four years and $54 million. At the time, it looked like a classic overpay for a middle-of-the-road starter — say, Jeff Suppan for a new decade. Today, after another excellent Santana start, it’s trending toward a great deal — one that could get even better for a rebuilding Twins team that might actually have enough to make a playoff run this season. For the eighth time in his last 10 starts, Santana allowed one or fewer earned runs. His 1.75 ERA is the best in baseball. Even better is his opponents’ batting average: .132 heading into Sunday’s start, during which he gave up just five hits in seven innings. Considering opponents were batting .136 on balls in play, well, Santana might as well change the lettering on the back of his jersey to “REGRESSION.” Nevertheless, he offers the Twins a bountiful opportunity. If they keep winning, they keep him. If they don’t, they can explore dealing him as the deadline approaches. So what if the market for starters is overloaded? Good teams need pitchers, particularly cost-controlled pitchers whose salary, it turns out, is more asset than liability. Consider: He’s already thrown more innings this season than … 8. Kenley Jansen or Craig Kimbrel will throw all year. Which is fine, because damn are they ever making good use of the innings they do throw. Nineteen innings into his season, Jansen has struck out 34 batters and walked none. Kimbrel is right there with him, at 40 strikeouts and two walks in 21 2/3 innings, plus he’s been unhittable, too, with just six base hits against him. They’re not the only ones. Andrew Miller is awesome, again, and Greg Holland is back to his old self, and his bullpen mate in Kansas City, Wade Davis, finally this week gave up an earned run. Much respect to the newcomers to the elite-reliever party — we see you, Felipe Rivero, Tommy Kahnle and Corey Knebel — but it’s going to take more than two months to sit with the cool kids. Being a great reliever means being a consistent reliever, and one supposes that quality goes for all elements of baseball. Consistency is paramount, and it’s why seven years into his career … 9. Buster Posey is every bit as important as he was when he debuted May 29, 2010, as the next big thing. Three World Series later, it always feels like he can be no bigger, and then he slashes .340/.439/.524 over the season’s first two months and again shows no signs of slowing down at a position that can make mincemeat of even the finest players. It’s also why so much of the attention from the messy brawl Monday descended on him. Watching Posey stand there as Harper tried to assault his pitcher was incredibly telling. The catcher is baseball’s in-case-of-emergency-break-glass sticker. If ever his pitcher does anything to irritate the batter, his job is to ensure the situation does not escalate to, say, a hitter having a point-blank shot at the pitcher with

both his helmet and fists. Good thing for Strickland that Harper pulled a 50 Cent and nobody in the end wound up hurt. At the same time, was Posey’s decision right? From any direction, the answer is yes. Say he didn’t want to get hurt, as he suggested after the game. Good for him. Buster Posey is the San Francisco Giants’ franchise player. He has a responsibility to avoid injuries best he can. Or maybe he didn’t agree with Strickland’s approach in seeking vengeance for something from so long ago and used his lack of support as an overt message to others who may run afoul of his moral code. Whatever the case, Posey proved that players are capable of staying out of the mess that is a basebrawl. It’s a lesson … 10. Bryce Harper could learn sooner than later. Hard though it may be to believe, he’s still just 24, and while that’s no excuse for his behavior or decision making, it shows Harper has time to figure out the right-from-wrong thing and add to the notion that should spread far and wide: Baseball players do not need to police one another by turning the ball into a weapon. Whatever various conduits of disrespect led to brawls in the past, the game in 2017 is a lot different. Those dirty slides into second? Umpires will call runners out — and if they miss the call, replay will get it right. The control, command and movement of pitchers is so good that their need to police the plate — to back hitters off with chin music — has shrunk as time has gone on. The larger issue is personal beefs like that of Strickland with Harper, where nobody would’ve figured it would happen until it did. Long suspensions would be a mighty good deterrent there, and maybe then players would get the harm they do by brawling. Yeah, it’s an adrenaline rush, and fans go nuts, and a scrum here and there gets the blood flowing, and — wait a second. This is the logic that some use to validate basebrawls? People actually believe Harper charging Strickland was warranted, like two wrongs make a right? Baseball’s unwritten rules are unwritten for a reason. Because if put to paper, they would be so patently absurd, so logically bankrupt, that they would crumble on themselves within minutes. And they are why, on a day that baseball lost its best player for months, it could’ve lost its second best as well. The sport, like Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland, dodged an even bigger shot Monday. It was, appropriately enough, pure dumb luck. Yahoo Sports Giants-Nats game may feature tense atmosphere Stats SAN FRANCISCO -- All eyes will be on a pair of veteran pitchers Tuesday night when both the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants could have a motive for retaliation following a bench-clearing brawl on Monday. Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) and Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija (1-6, 4.50 ERA) will get the start one day after Washington slugger Bryce Harper and San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland traded punches on the mound following an eighth-inning plunking. Harper and Strickland were ejected.

The Nationals labeled the 95 mph fastball that hit Harper squarely at the top of his right leg a payback for the star having hit two home runs off Strickland in the 2014 National League Division Series. The pitcher and hitter had not faced each other since Harper's second homer in Game 4 of a series the Giants won 3-1 en route to a World Series title. Washington manager Dusty Baker went as far as to support Harper's decision to charge the mound given Monday's circumstances. "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag," Baker said. "Baseball is a game where you can hold a grudge for a long time." It is possible Baker won't have Harper's services on Tuesday night and possibly longer if Major League Baseball issues a suspension. "If anybody gets suspended," Baker said, "the pitcher should get suspended. Our guy just responded to getting hit." While not totally supporting their guy, the Giants had a different view of the incident. They saw Harper putting not only Strickland but all players in jeopardy by starting a fight. "There were some big guys tumbling around out there," Giants catcher Buster Posey said. "It was a little dangerous." Samardzija, a former football player at Notre Dame, was one of the first to arrive at the mound after both benches emptied. That's not surprising given his role as one of the Giants' enforcers. However, he and teammate Michael Morse wound up colliding heads in the scrum. Earlier this season, Samardzija took it upon himself to hit Arizona Diamondbacks star Paul Goldschmidt with a pitch the day after Posey was hit in the head by Taijuan Walker pitch. The Giants retaliated later in the initial game, but Samardzija nonetheless added a shot of his own. He ranks among the major league leaders in hit batsmen this season with four, and also in losses. Samardzija will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak against the Nationals in which he has compiled a 7.00 ERA. For his career, he is 2-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 games, including seven starts, against Washington. He has never allowed a home run to Harper, but he did get bombed for a pair of homers, including one by Washington leadoff man Trea Turner, when he took a 5-1 loss to the Nationals and Gonzalez last August. Gonzalez, who has hit only one batter all season, will take a 4-4 career record and 2.94 ERA against the Giants to the mound. He will be making his 10th start against San Francisco. Gonzalez split decisions against the Giants last season despite pitching well in both games. He allowed just two earned runs and eight hits in 13 innings.

Yahoo Sports Harper and Strickland trade blows as Nats-Giants game descends into brawl The Guardian At the weekend, Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper told Little Leaguers it is not OK to lose. He displayed that competitive spirit again on Monday as his brawl with San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland led to the benches clearing. Strickland hit Harper with an errant 98mph pitch in the eighth inning. The outfielder waved his bat at Strickland, strode towards the mound and threw his helmet at his opponent. Both men weigh in at over 200lbs, putting them comfortably in the heavyweight division and they traded – mostly missed – blows until their team-mates intervened. Asked what he thought when he saw Harper approaching him, Strickland replied “It’s go time.” Both players were ejected from the game, and Strickland had to be dragged from the field by three of his team-mates. It was the first time he had hit an opposing batter with a pitch this season. The two men do have history though – in the 2014 playoffs, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. After Harper’s second homer, which he hit out the stadium, he stared Strickland down as he rounded the bases. Harper said the past did not play a part in his reaction, however. “No, not in that situation,” Harper said. “Especially since it’s been three years and they won the World Series that year. So I wasn’t really thinking about it at all. But when somebody comes at you like that, throws a 90mph fastball where he did, I wasn’t very happy with it, and took it into my hands and tried to go after him.” Harper added that he did not bear a grudge towards Strickland. “One thing I’ve got to say about Strickland is he hit me in the right spot, so I do respect him for that,” Harper said. “He didn’t come up and in toward my face like some guys do, so I respect him on that level.” Harper had never been ejected for fighting before but he did get into a fight with his own team-mate, Jonathan Papelbon, during the 2015 season. Washington went on to win Monday’s game 3-0. CBS Sports Giants' Christian Arroyo: Returns to lineup Monday RotoWire Staff Arroyo returned to the lineup and went 1-for-3 with a double in Monday's loss to the Nationals. Manager Bruce Bochy gave his young third baseman a couple of days off in hopes of breaking him out of his current slump (.111/.163/.156 over his last 12 games). Arroyo should resume his regular role at the hot corner, but he needs to show more life at the plate before fantasy owners can count on him. CBS Sports Giants' Hunter Strickland: Involved in brawl Monday RotoWire

Strickland was ejected from Monday's loss to the Nationals after he was involved in an on-field brawl with Bryce Harper. The veteran reliever drilled the Nationals' star with a fastball, leading to an altercation on the mound where both players landed punches. Neither player suffered an injury, but a suspension could be looming for Strickland once the league reviews the situation. CBS Sports Giants' Matt Moore: Tough-luck loser Monday RotoWire Staff Moore (2-6) allowed two runs on six hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out five over seven innings in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Nationals. After getting blown up for nine runs in 3.1 innings in his first start of the month of May, Moore has now thrown five straight outings with three or fewer runs surrendered to drop his ERA to 4.98. The lefty is still a shaky shallow-league option because of his 7.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9, but as we've seen, he can be an effective matchup play in deeper leagues. CBS Sports Giants' Eduardo Nunez: Still dealing with vision issues RotoWire Staff Nunez (head) continues to deal with vision issues and dizziness after suffering an apparent injury during Sunday's game, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Nunez did report that his symptoms had improved over the course of the day, but he was not yet healthy enough to play in Monday's game against Washington. He hopes to stay off the concussion disabled list, but unless the symptoms subside within the next day or two, the Giants will have little choice. CBS Sports Giants' Eduardo Nunez: Being evaluated for possible concussion RotoWire Staff Nunez is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals as he is being evaluated for a possible concussion, Alec Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Nunez apparently got knocked in the head at some point during Sunday's contest but was able to stay in the game. A decision on whether he'll land on the disabled list should be available following Monday's tests. Should Nunez be forced to hit the concussion DL, Orlando Calixte would be recalled to take his spot. Mac Williamson is starting for him in left field Monday, batting eighth. CBS Sports Five theories on why Buster Posey avoided the Bryce Harper-Hunter Strickland brawl Mike Axisa It took three years, but Giants reliever Hunter Strickland finally got revenge against Nationals wunderkind Bryce Harper. Monday afternoon Strickland drilled Harper with a fastball in apparent

retaliation for serving up two monster home runs to Harper during the 2014 NLDS. Monday was the first time the two had faced since then. You know what happened next. Harper charged the mound and both benches cleared. It was an actual brawl too, with punches. It wasn't a typical "lots of yelling and standing around" baseball brawl. Here's the video: One thing you may have noticed in the video was a lack of Buster Posey. In situations like this, the catcher usually gets between the hitter and the pitcher, or at the very least is one of the first to arrive to the brawl on the mound. That didn't happen with Posey. Here's where he was when Harper got to Strickland: And here's Posey standing back, away from the crowd during the brawl: Huh, that's weird. Like I said, the catcher is usually one of the most involved players because of his proximity to the brawl. He's either between the hitter and pitcher, or among the first to arrive on the scene. Not Posey on Monday though. I have a few possible theories about why Posey decided to stay back and basically avoid the brawl all together:

1. He knew Strickland deserved it for throwing at Harper intentionally. 2. He was tired from a long day behind the plate and didn't feel like getting involved in a brawl

with Harper. 3. He knows he's going to get a fastball to the ribs in retaliation at some point and didn't want to

make things worse. 4. He's a peaceful man and knows the best way to protest brawls is with non-violence. 5. He missed time with a concussion last month and didn't want to risk getting bonked on the

head. No. 5 sounds most plausible to me. For what it's worth, here's what Posey told reporters, including KNBR's Sam Hustis, about the brawl after the game: "Well I mean after it happened, I kind of saw Harper's point," Posey told reporters following the Nationals 3-0 win. "Next thing you know, he's going out after him. Those are some big guys tumbling around on the ground. "You see Mike Morse, is about as big as they come, and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. So…be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes." So there you have it. Posey avoided the brawl out of self-preservation. Smart! Even though it didn't look so great on the field. CBS Sports Why Madison Bumgarner didn't go on the field during the Harper-Strickland brawl Mike Axisa

Monday afternoon an otherwise forgettable game between the Nationals and Giants (WAS 3, SF 0) turned unforgettable when Bryce Harper charged the mound. Hunter Strickland drilled him with a fastball in apparent retaliation for a pair of home runs during the 2014 NLDS, and Harper went after him. Here's video of the fracas: Both duguts and bullpens emptied except for one player: Madison Bumgarner. The Giants ace remained in the dugout and watched the entire brawl from the sidelines: Clearly Bumgarner doesn't like his teammates and isn't willing to stand up for them, right? Well, no. That's not true at all. There's a really simple explanation for Bumgarner sitting the brawl out: he's on the disabled list. Players who are on the disabled list or were ejected earlier in the game are not allowed to be on the field. Bumgarner would have risked a suspension had he gone on to the field during the brawl, delaying his return to the mound even longer. The level of discipline would have depended on Bumgarner's role in the brawl. Was he front and center throwing punches, or standing in the back providing moral support? It is possible he would have escaped going out on to the field with only a fine, but why risk it? Bumgarner is too important and the Giants need him back ASAP. Bumgarner is currently out with a shoulder issue suffered during a dirt bike accident last month. The team hopes to get him back sometime around the All-Star break. CBS Sports Bryce Harper on brawl with Strickland: 'Sometimes you just have to go and get him' Mike Axisa Monday afternoon the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants (WAS 3, SF 0) at AT&T Park, and I'm fairly certainly no one will remember the specific run-scoring plays from the game. What they will remember is the massive brawl between Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland. Here's the video. Strickland hit Harper in the hip with a fastball, and Harper charged the mound. Strickland hit Harper in apparent retaliation for the two home runs Harper hit against him way back during the 2014 NLDS, a series the Giants won. They eventually went on to win the World Series too. Monday was the first time Strickland faced Harper since that NLDS. As you could imagine, Harper (and his teammates) had a lot to say about Strickland and the brawl following the game. Here is a roundup of Harper's postgame quotes: On (poorly) throwing his helmet: "I was just trying to go after him, with the helmet or just myself. I was just trying to do what I needed to do to keep it going I guess. I don't know. In that situation, you see red. You just try to do the best you can and get out of there and not get crushed by one of their teammates coming in." On the 2014 NLDS home runs: "They won the World Series that year. I don't even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night. I don't know why he did it or what he did it for, but I guess it happens ... That's where

a spot where it's just not relevant. That was three years ago, a thousand days I guess you could say. I don't know why he's still thinking about it." On being thrown at intentionally: "I mean, a baseball's a weapon, and being able to use that to his advantage, that's just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go and get him." On charging the mound: "I don't want to go on a baseball field and try to fight somebody. Especially when it's somebody that it's in the past. It's so in the past that it's not even relevant anymore ... You can't hesitate (after getting hit). You either go to first base or go after him. I decided to go after him. Both Harper and Strickland are sure to be suspended for Monday's brawl. Strickland started the whole thing by intentionally throwing at Harper, but Harper escalated it by charging the mound. CBS Sports Giants-Nats game may feature tense atmosphere Stats SAN FRANCISCO -- All eyes will be on a pair of veteran pitchers Tuesday night when both the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants could have a motive for retaliation following a bench-clearing brawl on Monday. Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) and Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija (1-6, 4.50 ERA) will get the start one day after Washington slugger Bryce Harper and San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland traded punches on the mound following an eighth-inning plunking. Harper and Strickland were ejected. The Nationals labeled the 95 mph fastball that hit Harper squarely at the top of his right leg a payback for the star having hit two home runs off Strickland in the 2014 National League Division Series. The pitcher and hitter had not faced each other since Harper's second homer in Game 4 of a series the Giants won 3-1 en route to a World Series title. Washington manager Dusty Baker went as far as to support Harper's decision to charge the mound given Monday's circumstances. "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag," Baker said. "Baseball is a game where you can hold a grudge for a long time." It is possible Baker won't have Harper's services on Tuesday night and possibly longer if Major League Baseball issues a suspension. "If anybody gets suspended," Baker said, "the pitcher should get suspended. Our guy just responded to getting hit." While not totally supporting their guy, the Giants had a different view of the incident. They saw Harper putting not only Strickland but all players in jeopardy by starting a fight.

"There were some big guys tumbling around out there," Giants catcher Buster Posey said. "It was a little dangerous." Samardzija, a former football player at Notre Dame, was one of the first to arrive at the mound after both benches emptied. That's not surprising given his role as one of the Giants' enforcers. However, he and teammate Michael Morse wound up colliding heads in the scrum. Earlier this season, Samardzija took it upon himself to hit Arizona Diamondbacks star Paul Goldschmidt with a pitch the day after Posey was hit in the head by Taijuan Walker pitch. The Giants retaliated later in the initial game, but Samardzija nonetheless added a shot of his own. He ranks among the major league leaders in hit batsmen this season with four, and also in losses. Samardzija will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak against the Nationals in which he has compiled a 7.00 ERA. For his career, he is 2-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 games, including seven starts, against Washington. He has never allowed a home run to Harper, but he did get bombed for a pair of homers, including one by Washington leadoff man Trea Turner, when he took a 5-1 loss to the Nationals and Gonzalez last August. Gonzalez, who has hit only one batter all season, will take a 4-4 career record and 2.94 ERA against the Giants to the mound. He will be making his 10th start against San Francisco. Gonzalez split decisions against the Giants last season despite pitching well in both games. He allowed just two earned runs and eight hits in 13 innings. CBS Sports Harper, Strickland trade punches, Nationals beat Giants 3-0 Stats SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Drilled in the hip by a heater, Bryce Harper knew where this was headed. In a hurry, too. ''You see red,'' he said. Enraged, the Washington slugger charged the mound, wildly fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with reliever Hunter Strickland, setting off a furious brawl Monday during the Nationals' 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. ''You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can't hesitate,'' Harper said. ''You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.'' The two players have a history, stemming from two home runs Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs. ''I can see how that stands in people's minds,'' Strickland said.

This flashpoint came in their first matchup since then - with two outs in the eighth inning, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball. Harper didn't wait. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off. ''My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that,'' he said. No one got in Harper's way as he rushed the mound. Giants star catcher Buster Posey stuck near the plate when Harper bolted, and stayed clear of the fracas as things escalated. ''Strick and him are the only ones that can answer why'' the fight happened, Posey said. Posey got a concussion last month from a beaning. He said he wasn't thinking about that accident, but was concerned about injuries. ''There were some big guys tumbling around out there,'' he said. ''So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.'' Harper's eyes were wide as he flung his helmet - it wasn't close to Strickland, it might've slipped, helmets are hard to throw accurately - and they started swinging away. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied. ''I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess,'' Harper said. Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. ''I'm OK, but why is that news?'' Morse said. ''I was trying to get in there to break everyone up.'' Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper. Harper and Strickland were both ejected, and are certain to face punishment from Major League Baseball. No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper attributed a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl. In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases. ''I wasn't sure what was going on, but I think (the Giants) were definitely shocked at the situation, shocked that he would do something like that three years later,'' Harper said.

''It just wasn't relevant. Like I said, it was three years ago, over a thousand days, I guess,'' Harper said. ''I don't know why he's thinking about it. He's got a World Series ring. It's on his finger and he's able to look at it every single night.'' Angry, Harper did at least appreciate there was no head-hunting. ''One thing I've got to say about Strickland is he hit me in the right spot, so I do respect him for that,'' Harper said. ''He didn't come up and in toward my face like some guys do, so I respect him on that level.'' Strickland said he missed his spot. ''I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him,'' he said. ''He's taken advantage of that, so I went inside. Obviously, I got in a little too far.'' ''He decided to come out, that's what he decided to do. It's go time. You protect yourself and stand your own ground,'' he said. ''And I'll take what consequences come with it. I was pretty fired up, to be honest. It's part of the game.'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy framed it for everyone. ''It looks bad, it does,'' he said. ''Harper gets hit and you look at a guy who's given up some home runs, and he'll tell you that he was trying to come in. You don't want to make a mistake there. You have two guys who don't care for each other too much. It was a pretty good pile.'' Nationals manager Dusty Baker had no doubt about Strickland's intent. ''We were ahead 2-0, two outs and nobody on base. I mean, that's the prime time to hit somebody if you're going to hit them, it looked like it was intentional to me,'' he said. ''What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag, he's human with emotions. I know he took (Strickland) deep in the playoffs a couple of times and he probably took exception to that. I mean baseball is a game where you don't forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time.'' Too long in the estimation of Harper and his teammates. ''Completely uncalled for,'' Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy said. ''Bryce hits one ... off him in a big spot from what I understand, I think I remember seeing it live, and Hunter waits three years. I think if the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would've gotten one the next season.'' Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, Harper's teammate in 2014, said the incident shouldn't come as that big a surprise. ''You can't assume what other people are thinking or what other people are going to do,'' he said. ''History is history, some people hold it longer than others.'' Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. Koda Glover pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his sixth save.

Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6). Murphy hit an RBI double in his first game after missing three games due to illness. UP NEXT LHP Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.90 ERA) is 4-4 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 starts against the Giants. Samardzija (1-6, 4.50) is 2-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 appearances (seven starts) against Washington and 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts against the Nationals. CBS Sports Nats-Giants brawl: Nationals back Harper, say Strickland's actions were 'uncalled for' Matt Snyder On Monday, Giants reliever Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper with a pitch and a brawl ensued. It seemed to come from some history between the two players that dates back to 2014. Obviously, this was bound to dominate the conversation in the locker rooms after the game. On the Giants' side, Strickland basically went with the whole "I was trying to throw inside and missed" defense, so that's boring. There's more juice from the Nationals' side, though. Manager Dusty Baker doesn't believe for a second the pitch was an accident and second baseman Daniel Murphy wasn't happy. Here's Harper, via Dan Kolko of MASN: On the 2014 home runs: "It's so in the past, it's not even relevant anymore. They won the World Series that year. I don't think he should even be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night." "A baseball is a weapon and to be able to use that to his advantage, I guess that's just what he wanted to do in that situation. You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you've got to go and get him." "It was three years ago. Over 1,000 days, I guess you could say. I don't know why he's thinking about it. He's got a World Series ring." Harper apparently wasn't alone in pointing out that the history was pretty old: Much of the focus was on Strickland and not the Giants as a whole. So there we have it. Things shouldn't linger into the following two games of the series this week but we will likely see suspensions for both Harper and Strickland. Past that, it should be over. CBS Sports Brief history of growing feud between Nats' Bryce Harper and Giants' Hunter Strickland Stats

On Monday, there was a massive brawl between the Giants and Nationals in San Francisco that started when Hunter Strickland plunked Bryce Harper with a first-pitch fastball. It certainly looked intentional. Why would it be? Let's check out the history between the two. The first time they faced each other, this happened in the 2014 NLDS: Quite a blast. It should be noted that it only cut the Nationals deficit to 3-1 and the Giants still won that game. After the game, Strickland insisted that he would continue to throw Harper fastballs, as if to say "I'm not afraid of the guy." Next time up, same series: So Harper stood in the box for a long time there, but the ball was right down the line, so one could argue he was seeing if it would stay fair or not. It's a reasonable thought. Of course, between first and second, Harper is pretty clearly glaring at Strickland. From the above clips, one might be able to make the case that Strickland didn't care for Harper's styling of the home runs and particularly hated the stare-down. At the time, there were shots of the dugout where Harper was still yelling in Strickland's direction. Then there's this: Remember in the spring of 2016 when Harper said the unwritten rules in baseball are "tired" because so many players get angry if a player attempts to express himself, seemingly talking about after hitting a home run? Via the San Francisco Chronicle, here's Strickland responding to Harper: "I don't think it's my place to go against the rules," Strickland said. "It's America's pastime for a reason. There's a history to the game. I don't think it's my place to judge the rules." Then we get this on Monday, which was the first time the two had faced each other since that blast into the bay in the 2014 NLDS: After the game, Strickland told reporters that he was just trying to throw inside, but I think we all know what we just saw. This is very clearly a situation where these two guys don't like each other and Strickland has probably been wanting it to happen since 2014. CBS Sports Olympic swimmer Ledecky sends pool invite to Bryce Harper during brawl suspension Mike Axisa Monday afternoon at AT&T Park, Nationals star Bryce Harper and Giants reliever Hunter Strickland were involved in a wild brawl after Strickland threw at Harper. It was in apparent retaliation for Harper taking him deep twice in the 2014 NLDS. Sort of lame, I say. Anyway, at some point both Harper and Strickland will be suspended by MLB. Brawls like that don't go unpunished. And if the Nationals are still in the Bay Area while Harper is serving his suspension, he has an open invite from gold medal winning Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky to hang out by the pool.

Harper and Ledecky have a bit of a history. She threw out the ceremony first pitch at Nationals Park last season, soon after the Olympics, and she made Harper hold all her medals: Katie Ledecky made Bryce Harper hold her medals last year. Then, after the Nationals clinched the NL East title in September, Harper was spotted wearing a Ledecky swimming cap during the clubhouse celebration: Bryce Harper wore a Katie Ledecky swimming cap in the clubhouse last year. USATSI There are worse ways to spend an MLB suspension than hanging out by the pool with an Olympic swimmer. USA Today Bryce Harper, Hunter Strickland, Buster Posey: Chapter 2 should be the end Bob Nightengale You know it’s coming. There will definitely be retaliation taken Tuesday night by the Washington Nationals when they play the San Francisco Giants. You want to take down one of ours, we’re going to take down one of yours. It may sound like vigilante justice, but it happens to be the code of baseball. They can’t let their franchise player, Bryce Harper, get intentionally drilled, leaving him so incensed that he starts a brawl, and do nothing in return. Baseball simply doesn’t work that way. “Most teams I’ve had,’’ Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Monday, “we don’t start anything, but we don’t take nothing.” MORE MLB: Bryce Harper, Giants brawl after Hunter Strickland drills him with pitch MLB power rankings: Twins rise as Astros stay hot MLB trade targets: Top 25 players who could move by the deadline Really, they have no choice but to respond, showing they have Harper’s back, offering full support. And Giants All-Star catcher Buster Posey, the man who had the most captivating reaction during Monday’s brawl, will be the one who takes the punishment. When Posey gets hit, it’ll be fascinating to see how he reacts. He could charge the mound, just like Harper, but Posey knows how this works. He’ll likely simply drop his bat, walk to first base, and perhaps glare toward his bullpen, quietly seething every step he takes.

You see, he won’t blame Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez, or anyone else who does the honors of hitting him. Posey knows this will be the fault of his own teammate, reliever Hunter Strickland, who in a matter of 24 hours, became something of a pariah in his own clubhouse. Strickland is the one who decided to seek revenge on Harper from three years ago when Harper twice homered off him in the first round of the playoffs, yelling at him running the bases on his second homer. Strickland got the last laugh by winning the Division Series and the 2014 World Series title, but almost 1,000 days later, his sentiments didn’t change. Strickland nailed him with a 98-mph fastball into his right hip. Harper didn’t initially run toward the mound. He awaited Strickland’s response. There was no apology. Strickland stood there as if to say, “Come to the mound, big boy, and let’s address it here.’’ So Harper went, wildly flinging his helmet, with the two exchanging blows to the face. The Giants’ reaction, particularly shown by Posey, was awfully curious. Gallery: Nationals-Giants brawl Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Benches-clearing brawl between Nationals, Giants Fullscreen SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the The Nationals' Bryce Harper is hit by a pitch from Hunter Strickland of the Giants in the top of the eighth inning at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images FULLSCREEN SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the1 of 11 May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper, left, prepares May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper (34) hits San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 29: Bryce Harper #34 of the May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; A fight ensues Next Slide 11 Photos Benches-clearing brawl between Nationals, Giants While the Giants also ran out to the mound, with teammates Jeff Samardzija and Michael Morse violently colliding, Posey didn't move.

Posey finally came out, but even wearing full gear and his catcher’s mask, stood off to the side, simply watching the skirmish. “Those were some big guys tumbling around,’’ Posey said after the game. “Morse was in there. As big as he is, he was getting knocked around like a pinball.” It was nothing more than empty words. If Posey really believed in the cause, even knowing he would be taking a few punches to his own face, he would be out there, smack in the middle of the brawl. Instead, he showed the whole world his sentiments toward Strickland’s actions. You want to start a fight, you finish it, but don’t try to get everyone involved in it. It’s miraculous that no one got injured. There were a couple of scratches, a few bruises, and Samardzija and Morse bumped heads, but the most damage were hurt feelings. Giants manager Bruce Bochy already had a private conversation with Strickland, who had not hit a batter since Aug. 21, 2016. “I needed to talk to him," Bochy said, "and make sure we’re straight with some things.” There probably will be more meetings today, this time, with Strickland’s own teammates. Maybe Strickland, 28, will apologize to everyone in a closed-door meeting. Maybe he’ll at least speak with Hunter Pence and tell him he’s sorry for slapping him in the head while Pence and two other teammates were trying to cool him down and escort him to the dugout. Yet, it’s only a fantasy believing that Strickland will apologize to Harper. It wouldn’t matter anyway. The Nationals still will respond. Someone will get hit. Posey is the logical target. It will culminate when Harper and Strickland are each suspended and fined, with Harper sure to file an appeal, arguing that a four- or five-game suspension is too severe. “What’s a man supposed to do?’’ Baker said. “He’s not a punching bag.” The feud between the Giants and Nationals, however, should be settled Tuesday night and put away for good. The Nationals will intentionally hit Posey, or perhaps even Samardzija. Home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro will issue a warning. And it goes away without Commissioner Rob Manfred or vice president Joe Torre’s involvement, unlike the Boston Red Sox-Baltimore Orioles never-ending feud. Now, as far as the relationship between Posey and Strickland, and how it affects the dynamics of the Giants’ clubhouse, this could the most fascinating sub-plot of it all. It could be the pitch that reverberates around China Basin all summer long.

USA Today Buster Posey had a perfectly reasonable explanation for not getting involved in brawl Nina Mandell The internet may have had its fun with Buster Posey deciding not to go charging to defend his teammate during Monday’s scuffle after Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch, but the Giants catcher had a perfectly reasonable explanation. (Not that he should really need one because fighting is kind of pointless and stupid, especially if this was over something that happened a few seasons ago.) From KNBR.com: “Well I mean after it happened, I kind of saw Harper point,” Posey told reporters following the Nationals 3-0 win. “Next thing you know, he’s going out after him. Those are some big guys tumbling around on the ground. “You see Mike Morse, is about as big as they come, and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. So…be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.” USA Today Bryce Harper, Giants brawl after Hunter Strickland drills him with pitch Jorge L. Ortiz SAN FRANCISCO — One after another, Washington Nationals players expressed dismay that San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland would hit Bryce Harper with a pitch in apparent revenge for a dispute that took place three years ago. Nationals manager Dusty Baker knows better. He has been around professional baseball for five decades and is aware some grudges last nearly that long. So when Strickland drilled Harper on the upper thigh with a 98 mph fastball in the eighth inning of Washington’s 3-0 victory, inciting a brawl, it didn’t take Baker long to make the connection. Baker may not have been a member of the Nationals franchise during the 2014 National League Division Series, when Harper twice homered off Strickland and yelled at him after the second blast, but he understood the genesis of the melee that suddenly erupted at AT&T Park on Sunday. “I know he (Harper) took him deep in the playoffs a couple of times. (Strickland) probably took exception to that,’’ Baker said. “Baseball is a game where you don’t forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time.’’ Strickland had not faced Harper since the Nats star crushed a game-tying home run in the seventh inning of Game 4 of that NLDS, a game the Giants went on to win to claim the series on the way to their third World Series championship in five seasons. It didn’t take long for the hard-throwing right-hander to reintroduce himself to the 2015 NL MVP, firing his first pitch to Harper just below his hip. Harper immediately barked at Strickland, pointing at him with

his bat. When Strickland didn’t back down, Harper flung his helmet at him – missing badly – and charged the mound. Both players exchanged blows for a few seconds before Strickland was knocked to the ground by an onrushing wave of players and coaches from both sides, amid much pushing and shoving. Both players were ejected. Harper said he didn’t go to the plate expecting any animosity from Strickland. “I don’t want to go into a baseball game trying to fight somebody, especially when it’s in the past, so in the past it’s not even relevant anymore,’’ Harper said. “They won the World Series that year and I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing the ring home every single night. I don’t know why he did it or what he did it for.’’ Strickland, who had hit just four batters in 136 1/3 innings in his four-year career before the pitch to Harper, said his intention was merely to go inside. He acknowledged that’s not what it looked like, given their encounters from three years ago, the only times they had ever faced each other. “I can see how that kind of stands in people’s minds, but that’s the past,’’ Strickland said. “Like I said, I left the ball over the plate a couple of times to him and he’s taken advantage of that. So obviously I’d rather miss in than over the plate.’’ It took three large teammates to drag the agitated Strickland off the field after the fracas, which featured a brief toe-to-toe between the combatants, both landing glancing blows to each other’s face. Harper was ushered out to the dugout by teammate Ryan Zimmerman, who was in the on-deck circle when all hell broke loose. Harper, a four-time All-Star before turning 24, has a reputation for brashness earned both through his words and his demonstrative on-field play. His style has made him a polarizing figure in the game, with veterans more likely to take issue with it. However, Harper’s teammates did not hesitate to rush to his defense when the fight broke out. “You can’t blame Bryce for what he did,’’ said Zimmerman, on his 13th year with the team. “I wouldn’t really enjoy getting hit for something … I don’t really know what he deserved to get hit for.’’ That may be a point major league baseball officials take into consideration as they assesses penalties for the incident, which will almost certainly include suspensions. Giants manager Bruce Bochy pointed out Harper threw his helmet at Strickland, but it wouldn’t be hard to conclude who instigated the altercation. “A baseball’s a weapon, and to be able to use that to his advantage, what do you want to do in that situation?’’ Harper said. “You never want to get suspended or anything like that, but sometimes you just have to go get ’em. You can’t hesitate. You either go to first base or go after him, and I decided to go after him.’’

New York Post Bryce Harper fights, and Twitter goes crazy Justin Terranova The motives of Hunter Strickland and Bryce Harper were clear. Buster Posey remains the mystery man in Monday’s brawl between the Nationals and Giants. As Harper charged after Strickland, following a fastball to the hip, Posey merely stared at Harper — a fellow MVP winner and teammate on several NL All-Star teams — and allowed him an unimpeded path to the relief pitcher for a helmet throw (that went laughably awry) and several wild roundhouses. “I don’t know. I really don’t know,” a Giants player said when asked by Fox Sports about what Posey was thinking at the time. There have been several theories floated: 1) Posey let Harper go because he thought Strickland was in the wrong; 2) Strickland, who has a history with Harper, wanted to fight him and told Posey to stand down (a source told this to Fox Sports); 3) He simply spaced. “Well, I mean, after it happened, I kind of saw Harper’s point,” Posey told reporters. “Next thing you know, he’s going out after him. Those are some big guys tumbling around on the ground. You see [Giants first baseman] Mike Morse, is about as big as they come, and he was getting knocked around like a pinball. So … be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.” Posey has a concussion history, and the Giants losing him would be catastrophic for a season already on the brink. Still, it was an unusual sight to watch a catcher so indifferent to a teammate under attack. The Washington Post Bryce Harper started it Dan Steinberg Some baseball analysts, ignorant of history, suggested over the last 24 hours that both sides were at fault in the Bryce Harper-Hunter Strickland melee. This is false, like suggesting both sides are to blame when a kid sticks his hand inside a beehive and gets stung 439 times. The bees are just reacting to the original offense as nature intended. And in this case, the original offense was committed by one person and one person only: Bryce Harper. He stuck his hand in a beehive. Can’t be mad when you get stung. Just consider his indefensible, shocking, reprehensible actions. In the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS, with his team trailing the Giants, 3-0, Harper committed a cardinal baseball sin by hitting a Strickland pitch over the fence at Nationals Park. This was ruled a home run by the official scorer, making the score 3-1. Frankly, I don’t have to go on. I’d have ejected Harper right then and there, and/or sentenced him to federal prison. But the effrontery went on. Two batters later — with Strickland still on the mound — a certain Asdrubal Cabrera mirrored Harper’s action, hitting the ball over the fence yet again. It’s like, seriously, what the hell? The poor pitcher should have walked off the field in protest. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Like Saint Augustine always said, it was pride that turned angels into devils, and angels aren’t intimidating at all and probably don’t even lift. The Giants held on for a 3-2 win, but some things can’t be easily forgotten.

Okay, so then more things happened — there was an 18-inning game, Jews went to Yom Kippur services and then came home to see baseball still going on, Drew Storen did some absolutely vintage Drew Storen stuff, Matt Williams pondered the meaning of life and relief pitching, the D.C. Sports Troll crept over the horizon, someone from Journey sang a song, the most important hitters on the Nats not named Bryce Harper were struck by a garlic-scented weakening spell, Wilson Ramos bunted, Harper hit another home run off a person named Jean Machi who evidently has no self-respect at all, reporters wrote about cat sculptures, I was probably depressed about something or other, Jayson Werth concocted a plan not to talk to reporters so as to prove that he is one of the worst figures in D.C. sports history, the Giants won a game and lost a game — and then we arrived at Game 4. Okay, and you’re seriously not gonna believe what happened next. In the seventh inning — AGAIN — with Hunter Strickland on the mound — AGAIN — and with the Nationals trailing — AGAIN — this not-t0-be-believed Harper guy HIT ANOTHER HOME RUN. And not only that, but he did it in Strickland’s home park, and with his team behind by just one run, meaning IN AN ELIMINATION GAME WITH HIS TEAM EIGHT OUTS FROM HAVING ITS SEASON END, this dirt-eating vinegar-drinking apple pie-hating wondrous-hair-having idolater clubbed the dang baseball over the fence. AND HE LOOKED AT THE PITCHER!!!!!!!!! What a jerkhead. He might as well have defecated on Hunter Strickland’s front porch. Right by the petunias. He also yelled toward the pitcher’s mound from the dugout, with a whole bunch of excitement. “It was definitely noticed by the Giants that Bryce Harper went nuts as he rounded the bases following the homer,” Giants reporter Alex Pavlovic wrote after the game, and gosh, that’s just the wrong time to go nuts, after a game-tying homer late in an elimination game. And yet the Giants showed parent-of-a-tantruming-toddler-on-a-plane levels of restraint. Not only did they not rush at Harper with baseball bats and poison darts and water balloons filled with urine: they did nothing. Not in 2014. Not in 2015. Not in 2016, either. You’ve never seen such patience. There are dead Tibetan monks who aren’t that patient. And then finally — finally — Strickland, after three years of superhuman tolerance, forced Harper to answer for his sins with nothing more than a fastball in the hip. The outfielder should have thanked him, and asked for another. Just to be clear, here are things Harper could have done to have avoided his deserved punishment: ● He could have not hit a home run in the seventh inning of a playoff game. ● He could have declined to watch that home run, possibly with the aid of a handkerchief tied over his eyes, or at the very least by averting his gaze elsewhere, sprinting around the bases while staring into the crowd and then apologizing once he crossed home plate. ● He could have — and should have — offered to let Strickland have his way with him in Game 4 of that series. Maybe he could have batted right-handed to give the pitcher a better chance. Or used just one arm. Or a plastic bat. Or a really long leek. ● He could have struck out on purpose.

● He could have brought sacrifices to the mound to try to make amends for past sins. Like, a dead lamb, or whatever. Or at least a lamb sandwich. ● He could have not hit another home run in the seventh inning of another playoff game. ● He could have not looked at Strickland. Again: handkerchief. Do they make Curly W burqas? ● He could have said something respectful and kind about Strickland after the game, as opposed to what he did say. “He throws fuego,” Harper said. “I respect him giving me another 3-1 heater. That takes a lot of cojones. To be able to do that, I tip my cap to him.” ● He could have said something humble and self-effacing about his homer after the game, as opposed to what he did say. “They got the upper hand and they beat us so that homer was nothing,” he said. The gall. It doesn’t matter that the Giants won both games, and the series, and the World Series. It doesn’t matter that this happened three years ago. It doesn’t matter that 98.3 percent of baseball fans had sort of forgotten that Strickland and Harper both stared at each other real angry-like as Harper rounded the bases, and maybe exchanged some words, and both seemed generally mad at life. None of that matters. Harper hit the homers. Harper yelled. He started it. Strickland just finished it. Speaking of which, something’s been on my mind. Remember the Georgia state AA quarterfinals in the spring of 2006? I’m sure you do. Facing Buford’s murderous middle-of-the-lineup murderer’s row, a young Hunter Strickland was cruelly touched for back-to-back home runs in the first inning of what became a 9-0 loss. First, a teenage Chase Burnette hit a two-run shot. Then a teenage Cory Allen hit a solo homer. I don’t know where they are or what they’re doing, and I know it’s been 11 years, but I hope they keep their heads on permanent swivels. They homered off Hunter Strickland in the playoffs, and for that, they must pay. The Washington Post Even the Giants thought Hunter Strickland crossed the line against Bryce Harper Barry Svluga When you watch the video of Bryce Harper being hit by a 98-mph fastball and charging Hunter Strickland for, say, the fifth time, pay attention to the character who will tell you all you need to know about right and wrong, good and evil, in that situation. Not Harper, incensed and flinging his helmet as he tore after the pitcher. Not Strickland, all 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds of him, ready to absorb whatever Harper had to offer. Nope. Watch Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants catcher, the Giants’ leader. Watch him do . . . nothing. That should provide an indication of the Giants’ instantaneous reaction to this Memorial Day ridiculousness. The rules of engagement in baseball, whether they’re written or not, are pretty clear: pitcher with beef, legitimate or not, throws at batter; batter gets [ticked] off, stares and/or points at

pitcher; catcher steps between batter and his own pitcher; batter is forced to power through catcher if he’s to get to pitcher. And yet the next time Posey steps between Harper and Strickland will be the first. Posey was closer to wandering into the stands to flag down the popcorn vendor than he was to protecting Strickland. Home plate umpire Brian Gorman, who is 57 years old, beat Posey to the mound — because Gorman actually took a step or two to try to defuse the situation. “Those were some big guys tumbling around,” Posey said afterward, explaining his absence from the fray, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. This is baseball, from roughly the time of Old Hoss Radbourn to the present, and whatever Manny Machado or Dustin Pedroia or Bryce Harper think about it, it isn’t changing soon. This sport has policed itself long before Ty Cobb went flying, spikes up, into second base. And it polices itself still. That might seem silly. When those 98-mph fastballs get toward heads — rather than the back side, where Harper was hit — it can seem downright dangerous. But, as Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth told reporters, “It’s part of the game.” Given that, what happened Monday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco isn’t terribly surprising. But who, exactly, was Strickland policing? Think whatever you want to about Harper — and there are a wide variety of opinions, including in the Nationals’ own clubhouse. But Harper’s crimes against Strickland — two monstrous postseason homers, and we’ll get to the specifics shortly — came three seasons ago. Three seasons ago. So listen to Harper, speaking sense. “It’s so in the past that it’s not even relevant anymore,” Harper told reporters after the game. “They won the World Series that year.” [Video: Bryce Harper charges mound after getting hit by Hunter Strickland] There’s the key concession: Hey, Hunter, I tagged you twice in the 2014 National League Division Series. But you have a ring that I don’t have. I’ll tip my cap and try to get the best of you next time. When you think about the specifics of what went down that October — again, three seasons ago — Strickland’s fastball directly at Harper on Monday seems even more absurd. Harper first faced Strickland leading off the seventh inning of Game 1 at Nationals Park, with the Nats already down 3-0. He drilled a 2-1 fastball out to right, a moonshot that he admired because, well, it was worthy of admiration. The Giants won the game, 3-2. Strickland and Harper met again, this time in the seventh inning of Game 4, with the Giants leading both the series and the game 2-1. Harper got another fastball, this one at 3-1, and he drilled it into McCovey Cove, the Barry Bonds territory beyond AT&T Park’s right field wall. It was, arguably, the biggest homer in Harper’s career, and he bellowed as he rounded the bases, chirped when he got back in the dugout. The Giants won the game, 3-2. The Giants won the series, 3-1.

Again, listen to Harper, thinking big picture. “I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round,” he said. “He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night.” The Giants who played in that series who also played Monday afternoon include not only Posey, but first baseman Brandon Belt, second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford. Those players, forever, will be known as World Series champions in the Bay Area. Their revenge wasn’t plotting to plunk Harper three years later. It was a tad more clever — and more painful, where Harper’s concerned. It was winning the whole damn thing that fall. There are just so many indications that Strickland was the only one thinking about this as a revenge situation. It’s not like this was the first time the two teams had faced each other since that series — again, three seasons ago. “Hunter waits three years to get him,” Nats second baseman Daniel Murphy, not a member of Washington’s 2014 team, told reporters after the game. “If the Giants thought it was that egregious, Bryce would’ve gotten one the next season. So he waits three years to get him? Completely uncalled for.” Completely uncalled for. Harper will probably get suspended, because that’s how these things work. You’re not supposed to fight for yourself, even when a tiny sphere is hurled at your body. Strickland should surely get suspended, even as he protested that he was trying to work Harper down and in, rather than leaving a fastball over the plate, because we know what Harper has done to those pitches in the past. That there’s not a Nat or a Giant who believed Strickland’s version isn’t surprising, because that’s how baseball works. What’s telling is there wasn’t a Giant who defended Strickland’s action, either. The rules of engagement, stupid or not, were established long ago. Buster Posey knows them. So watch him stand behind the plate as Harper went after Strickland, and you learn everything you need to know about who was right and who was wrong on Monday afternoon in San Francisco. The Washington Post Bryce Harper is the latest victim in baseball’s evolving culture wars Dave Sheinin For as long as there has been baseball played on these shores, there has been one subset of players, generally veteran ones, that has taken it upon itself to teach another subset of players, generally younger ones, how to – say it with me now – “play the game the right way.” If that seems like a tired phrase, it’s becoming an even more tired concept. On Monday at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Giants reliever Hunter Strickland felt he needed to teach Nationals superstar Bryce Harper that exact lesson, which he undertook by drilling Harper in the hip with a 98-mph fastball, touching off a brawl that included an exchange of punches and that will likely result in both players being suspended.

Inside the mind of Strickland must be a scary and confusing place to be, what with all those three-year-old grudges and revenge fantasies, and we won’t be staying there for long. But it isn’t difficult to discern his motivation, and it was all representative of a larger divide in baseball’s evolving culture, one that seems to create more contentiousness as the divide grows. We’re only guessing here – because Strickland, of course, claimed the pitch was meant to be inside and simply got away from him – but the reason he decided to drill Harper was not because the latter homered twice off him in the 2014 National League Division Series, as many have suggested. Homers happen, and even a less-evolved player such as Strickland knows he has to wear them. No, what almost certainly burrowed its way into a recess of Strickland’s brain, back in October 2014, and festered there for almost three years, until the next time he was fortunate enough to face Harper, was Harper’s reaction to those homers. Rather than lay his bat down and take a sober sprint around the bases – the right way to play the game, according to folks of Strickland’s ilk – Harper stood and watched them for a few moments before making his way around the bases. In the first instance, in Game 1, Strickland appeared to glare at Harper. In the second, in Game 4, Harper appeared to glare back. That, son, is not playing the game the right way. But it is worth pointing out two things here: First, both home runs were pulled down the line in right field, so Harper’s delayed trots may have had less to do with posing and preening than with seeing if the balls would remain inside the foul pole. Second, and more importantly, the Giants won both of those 2014 playoff games, as well as the series, then went on to win the World Series. Strickland, in other words, got the ultimate revenge, had he possessed the awareness to see it. Game over. This was Harper’s exact point after the game, when he said, “They won the World Series that year. I don’t even think he should be thinking about what happened in the first round. He should be thinking about wearing that ring home every single night.” Certain players arouse the ire of the play-the-game-the-right-way crowd more than others. They are usually younger and/or foreign-born, meaning they have grown up in an era and/or culture where personal expression on the field is more accepted. They play the game with more flair than their predecessors. They are also usually great, or else their exploits would not matter. Harper is one of these players. Strickland, in using the old “pitch-got-away-from-me” defense, wasn’t willing to articulate what it was about Harper, or one of Harper’s specific actions, that made him go to such great lengths to exact his small measure of revenge. But luckily, Cole Hamels articulated it for him. In 2012, when Harper was a 19-year-old rookie making his way around the league for the first time, Hamels, then pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, drilled him in the back the first time he faced him. The reason? Basically: Just because he didn’t like the way Harper played the game. “That’s something I grew up watching,” Hamels said after that game. “I’m just trying to continue the old baseball, because I think some people are kind of getting away from it.” These are difficult times for the play-the-game-the-right-way crowd. Every year, another crop of rookies arrives who came of age in the era of bat-flips and pumped fists, and every year the ranks of the old-school, self-appointed baseball-decorum police grow thinner. (Where is Jonathan Papelbon these days, anyway?) This, in turn, makes that group even more desperate to rescue the old values. It’s not

dissimilar from the way American society itself has grown more tolerant and more multicultural, to the chagrin of others, and we can all see where that has left our national politics. There is only one direction where this is heading, and it would be better for all involved if we simply acknowledged the cultural shift going on within baseball, one that is not going away. It is quite telling that in the two most significant on-field incidents this season – the Strickland/Harper confrontation, and the one last month in which Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes threw behind the head of Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado – the most prominent position player on both of the offending teams made no effort to hide their disgust at their own teammates’ actions. [Machado handled Orioles-Red Sox incidents with maturity. Not everyone could say the same.] In Boston, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia essentially disavowed Barnes’s purpose pitch, calling it a “mishandled situation.” And in San Francisco on Monday, Giants catcher Buster Posey stood behind home plate for a good five seconds as Harper charged the mound, rather than rush in between Harper and Strickland, as is expected of a catcher in that situation. Pedroia and Posey apparently have grasped what Machado and Harper already innately know, and that the old-school holdouts will eventually need to acknowledge: it’s no longer necessary to define for younger players the right way to play the game. Their way, anymore, is the right way. SB Nation Ranking the top 4 people who refused to get involved in the Bryce Harper fight James Dator The bench-clearing brawl between the Nationals and Giants on Monday had a couple of notable people who couldn’t participate. At this point you’ve seen the video of Bryce Harper charging the mound 100 times, but what about the people who said, “Nah, I’m good?” 1. Madison Bumgarner Poor Madison. The only bum left in the seats. This is like watching every kid run into the snow and starting play while you’re stuck home with a cold. He’s basically wistfully staring out a figurative window — watching his chance slip away. 2. Buster Posey The beautiful thing about Buster Posey in all this is just how ho-hum he finds the whole thing. It’s the top of the eighth, there are two outs, it’s Memorial Day. He just wants to go home. Posey is going to be a bystander for as long as possible, even when the benches clear. He runs into frame just about when the whole thing is over — and even then he just stands there. 3. This guy It’s tough to tell precisely who this is, but they never leave the dugout either. Unlike Bumgarner, who seems upset he can’t go and play with his friends, this bystander just leans to get a better look.

4. First base coach Jose Alguacil (maybe). This is another that’s tough to discern, but it comes 10 seconds into the fight. Both dugouts have cleared, everyone is a melee in the middle — some players have stopped fighting — but then from the right of frame, in saunters a figure who has a passing interest in showing support, but that’s it. Around the Foghorn Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper, Hunter Strickland Fight on Memorial Day Jonathan Platek Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper and San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland came to blows on Memorial Day at AT&T Park. Baseball fights are usually more sizzle than steak, but this one will give us enough to chew on for quite awhile, as Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland came to blows on national television. Down two runs with two outs in the 8th inning, after retiring Trea Turner and Jayson Werth, Strickland stared at his Washington Nationals nemesis Bryce Harper digging into the batter’s box. This would be the last time things were civil on the field for quite awhile. In what can only be described as an incredibly self-serving and stupid maneuver, Strickland rocketed a 98-mph fastball at Bryce Harper’s hip, making contact on the first pitch. The pitch connected, Harper was immediately displeased, and after motioning with his bat broke into a full sprint towards the Giants fireballer, pausing only briefly to take off his helmet and crow-hop to get a few extra miles an hour on the protective device he clearly intended to hurl back at the aggressor. Harper missed hilariously wide with his own projectile, and walked straight into a right hand from Strickland. Not to be out-done, Harper launched his own fist at Strickland, only to miss and falter slightly as his feet reached the incline of the pitching mound. Undeterred, Bryce Harper gathered and fired another right hand at Hunter Strickland, this one appearing to make contact with both the player’s head and his Memorial Day Commemorative Cap from New Era–available now for $39.99 at your team’s store and the MLB Shop, support the troops by buying consumer goods, kids–the bill of which bent considerably in absorbing the blow. It’s hard to call this fight for either player, to be honest. Strickland landed the cleanest blow to be sure, but it was an open-handed, slap-like gesture. Harper at least hit Strickland with a fist to the face, but it is impossible to say how much force was absorbed by that $40 masterpiece of monetization. It seems safe calling this a draw. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, however, is unlikely to see it this way. Hunter Strickland can kiss the Giants goodbye for a week, at least. As for Bryce Harper, he is likely gone for a lot longer, depending on how Manfred views Harper’s attempt at using his helmet as a weapon–we won’t ask for the moment why Strickland won’t be punished as harshly for using the baseball as a weapon, one with more energy and precision.

Prima facie, I’d venture a guess that Harper is suspended for 15 games, which he will appeal, and it will be knocked down to 10, resulting in a two-week vacation. Today’s was the first of a three game set in San Francisco. However, the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants will meet again later in the summer, beginning on Friday, August 11th. That’s plenty of time for this baseball beef to marinate. Around the Foghorn San Francisco Giants History: Buster Posey makes 2010 season debut; top 5 career moments Vince Cestone Seven years ago Monday, Buster Posey made his 2010 debut for the San Francisco Giants. Nobody could imagine then he would be part of three World Series championships and an MVP season. On that first day, Buster Posey collected three hits and three RBI in a 12-1 San Francisco Giants rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Posey played first base in that game. The Giants would end up winning their first championship in San Francisco that year, a precursor of two more championship runs for the once title-starved team. Here are the top 5 moments of Posey’s career: 2012 Game 5 NLDS Grand Slam vs. Reds The Giants were nearly dead in the water after the Cincinnati Reds routed them 9-0 in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Then, the Giants did the unthinkable. Needing three straight wins in Cincinnati to win the Round 1 playoff series, the Giants took the next two games. Next came the decisive Game 5. With the Giants up 2-0 in a raucous Great American Ballpark for Game 5’s winner-take-all game, Posey came up and sealed the deal against nemesis Mat Latos. His long fifth-inning grand slam to the upper deck in left field gave the Giants a 6-0 lead. Those four runs were important, as the Reds would battle back to make it a 6-4 game in the ninth. The win sent the Giants to the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and they eventually went on to win their second championship in San Francisco. Posey’s 2010 Rampage at Miller Park Posey cemented himself as an offensive threat starting on Jul. 5, 2010. The Giants were 42-40 in need of a spark to get their season going. Well, their rookie catcher provided that. In the four-game series, Posey went 9-for-15, with three home runs and nine RBI. One of those more memorable home runs reached a Toyota Tundra on display in deep right center field. In Game 3 of the series, Posey went 4-for-4 with a home run and six RBI.

The Giants went on to sweep that series. It was that series that some say propelled them to overtake the San Diego Padres for the National League West title over two months later 3. Posey’s 17-inning home run 2017 was looking like a lost season for the Giants. On May 12, they were 12-24, just toiling away in the National League West. Looking for any gasp of hope, they got it on that long Friday night that lasted into Saturday morning. The Giants and Reds were deadlocked in a 2-2 tie heading into the bottom of the 17th inning. Posey, who had caught all those 17 innings, ended the game with a long home run to left field. Since then, the Giants are 9-7. The Giants aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire, but it’s been a better May than April so far. 4. Buster Posey’s First Major League Home Run What better moment in your career than your first major league home run? Posey hit that first home run on Jun. 9, 2010 in Cincinnati. Like his 2012 NLDS grand slam, it was hit into the upper deck at Great American Ballpark. Posey now has 123 career home runs. Whether or not he gets to 300 before his career is over, that remains to be seen. AT&T Park isn’t exactly the easiest place to hit one out 5. 2012 World Series Home Run One of the few things that could top your first big-league home run is a home run in the World Series. And one to give you the lead at that. The Giants were down 2-1 against Max Scherzer, and the powerhouse Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning of Game 4 of the 2012 World Series. Posey came up and yanked a two-run home run just barely fair down the left field line. The Giants led 3-2. And apparently, that home run went off a fan’s face. They would eventually go on to win that game 4-3 in extra innings, sweeping the Tigers in the World Series. While Buster Posey has contributed a ton of moments, these were the five that stood out. Hopefully we have plenty more to talk about down the road with Buster Posey.

Around the Foghorn The San Francisco Giants have a Hunter Strickland Problem Jake Mastroianni The fight between Hunter Strickland and Bryce Harper should sound a lot of alarms for the San Francisco Giants and their future with Strickland. First of all, I dislike Bryce Harper just as much as any other baseball fan. Unless he plays for your team, he just isn’t a likeable player. You can’t ignore how great of a player he is, but that doesn’t mean you have to like him. However, I think Hunter Strickland deserves all of the blame for the embarrassing situation on Monday. The pitch was intentional, and if you don’t believe that, then you might as well quit reading this article. Strickland was still mad because of something that happened in 2014! And I hate to keep agreeing with Harper, but he was right on point with what he said after the game on Monday. Strickland and the San Francisco Giants went on to eliminate the Washington Nationals and win a World Series ring. So why is Strickland still holding a grudge from the first round of the 2014 playoffs? If you want to get even, strike him out. Or flash your World Series ring at him. But don’t plunk him just to get him back for something that happened over two years ago. But here is why I think this is such a problem for the San Francisco Giants — Strickland is becoming a team problem. A lot of people made a big deal about Buster Posey not doing anything to take up for Strickland. That to me signifies that the team is fed up with Strickland. He took it upon himself to get revenge on Harper, and in doing so put his teammates in the cross hairs. Strickland isn’t going to be getting in the batter’s box any time soon. It will be one of his teammates that has to take one in the ribs. And then when Strickland’s teammates are trying to get him off the field he’s basically fighting them like a mad animal. He pretty much shoved Hunter Pence, who had no business being out there coming back from an injury, in the face. In my opinion Strickland is a cancer for this team. But what makes this problem even more difficult, is that he’s really good. In 17.2 innings pitched this year he’s struck out 18 batters and given up just 3 earned runs. He’s been one of the San Francisco Giants best relief pitchers the past three years.

You can’t just get rid of a talented arm like that, but I think it’s time for the San Francisco Giants to consider parting ways with Hunter Strickland for the good of the team. ABC 7 Giants, Nationals fans don't see eye-to-eye on baseball brawl It's a game that won't be forgotten anytime soon. A bench-clearing brawl between the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park Monday afternoon had everyone talking. RELATED: Punches thrown during Giants, Nationals game in San Francisco Fans say it involves a beef dating back more than two years ago. Giants reliever Hunter Strickland threw a 98-mph fastball that ended up hitting the hip of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. Harper then charged the mound and the two exchanged punches as the benches cleared. It was no surprise -- Giants fans ABC7 News spoke with were quick to blame the other team. "It was right there inside by the knees," said Giants fan Michael Morla, gesturing toward his knees. "So I think it was an overreaction by Bryce Harper." As expected, Strickland denied hitting Harper intentionally. "I've left the ball over the plate a couple times to him and he's taken advantage of that," he said. "So mostly go inside, and obviously I got it in a little too far." But it's the first time the two have faced off since the 2014 NLDS. That's when Harper hit two monster home runs off Strickland. Nationals fans say it was obvious Monday's incident was in direct response to the past. "I think it's ridiculous to charge the mound but I also think it's ridiculous to hold a grudge from a playoff series two years ago that you won," said Nationals fan Peter Bloom. Regardless of who's to blame, fans were disheartened that a nice day at the ballpark ended the way it did. "Memorial Day is like one of those days in baseball's, America's pastime, where it seems pretty sacred and it was quite the opposite from that," said Giants fan Bennett Roth-Newell. "It's just scary I think for a kid to see that," fan Christine Federowski told ABC7 News. "When these people you look up to are fighting on the field." McCovey Chronicles What were all the other Giants up to during the fight? Doug Bruzzone

After yesterday’s Melee By The Bay (TM me, please send me three dollars just for reading that phrase), we saw many, many Takes about the central question: Was Hunter Strickland wrong to throw at Bryce Harper, or was Hunter Strickland so wrong that he created a new universe of wrongness in which he could live alone, wrong, for eternity? We’ll never know the answer to that question, so instead I’m gonna focus on all the identifiable Giants who weren’t Hunter Strickland and what they were up to here. We have all been told repeatedly that Buster Posey is a bad person for not stopping Harper from going after Strickland (even once by an anonymous Giant!), but it bears repeating: Once your teammate actively decides to put his own weird need for revenge over the team, it is your responsibility to back your teammate up wholeheartedly, putting your own physical well being into jeopardy not only during the fight but also during the at bat you will take at some point over the next couple of games where you get a baseball thrown at you at a very high speed. This is just common sense. The Bad Teammate in this situation is obviously Buster Posey. But what about the rest of the Giants? How did they comport themselves? First off, there’s Jeff Samardzija and Michael Morse, who, while trying very hard to get involved in the fight, were not 100% able to hit the guy they were trying to hit. Whoopsie doodle! Not everyone could be involved, of course. Madison Bumgarner, on the DL, had to slowly fade into the back of the dugout, not just because of his injury, but also due to league rules prohibiting guys on the DL from coming onto the field. League rules, however, are no match for the power of Hunter Pence’s desire to be a good teammate. Pence came onto the field and, along with George Kontos and Mac Williamson, dragged Strickland back to the dugout so that he could stop making a dang fool of himself. Here are my favorite parts of this one: Williamson picking up Strickland’s leg, obviously Mark Gardner giving Strickland a little push back to the dugout before giving up because, really, he’s not actually helping Unknown Giants Coach (Steve Decker? I thought it was Phil Nevin but another angle shows him without a jacket on) coming over at the end like he’s going to help at all by just saying words. Strickland grabbing Righetti’s jacket like, man, I’m so close to convincing him to let me get back out there, this is definitely gonna do it for me for sure. My least favorite part is Strickland grabbing at Pence’s face, which is not a nice thing to do to anyone, much less a teammate, much less a good teammate who’s trying to help you and will face some kind of discipline from the league for it. Next up, the other infielders! Let’s rank them:

Joe Panik, coming in like he means business, getting grabbed and tossed aside by Jayson Werth like a paper clip, and then jogging back towards the pile even though he knows that there will be no fighting today. Christian Arroyo, not bothering to hide that he wants absolutely no part of this dumb business whatsoever. Brandon Crawford, jogging in solely so people don’t get mad at him for not being part of the brawl, but also wanting absolutely no part of this dumb business whatsoever Please also note that this camera angle shows Posey eventually jogging in himself, with some Giant pushing him back away from the scrum. Now let’s see what other angles we can look at. Here’s one! This would appear to be Josh Osich eventually jumping on the pile, with Gorkys Hernandez and Jose Alguacil standing around ineffectually. At least none of them hit another Giant! Here we see Aaron Hill, Brandon Belt, Justin Ruggiano, and Cory Gearrin all hanging out on the periphery of the pile, with Phil Nevin way on the right side at the end trying to pull some Giant away from some National. That’s good coaching! Denard Span, Johnny Cueto, and Ron Wotus can be seen milling around in the background here as the big boys try to wrestle Strickland back to the dugout. And here’s Bryan Morris running in at the end! Look, I never promised that these guys would be doing anything interesting, which is good, because I knew damn well that wouldn’t be the case. With the assumption that Eduardo Nuñez was in the clubhouse and therefore not available to come out on the field, this accounts for all the active Giants other than Blach, Cain, Law, Melancon, Moore, and Hundley, who were all (presumably) the guys in jackets who could not be identified from behind when looking at GIFs of videos found on YouTube. Thank you for your time. I hope you tell your friends to click on this article and also please don’t throw baseballs at people. McCovey Chronicles Hunter Strickland took the easy way out Sami Higgins Hunter Strickland did a dumb thing on Monday. Grant wrote about it here and also here and Doug broke it down here. As Doug pointed out, there is no shortage of hot takes from people on social media and KNBR callers about Strickland, Bryce Harper, and Buster Posey that seem to overvalue the appearance of seeming “tough” by emphasizing it as a physical trait, rather than a mental trait. I just don’t agree with that at all.

Tough, in my opinion, would have been Strickland facing Harper and finding a way to get him out. Even in a loss, that would have been a victory. And one we could be proud of him for. He didn’t seem interested in even attempting that, though. Instead, he opted to plunk Harper on the first pitch, then fight him for being understandably upset about it. It was a cheap way out of having to move forward in a professional relationship he’ll probably have to face for years, if anyone ever lets him pitch to Harper again. Harper did exacerbate things by charging the mound, but I honestly can’t blame him for being upset. That his HBP ultimately scored a run was maybe the most literal earned run of all time. I look at Buster Posey’s reaction and I can’t help but find it a little telling. Posey is the most respected player on the team, he’s basically the team captain, and generally has his teammates’ backs in these types of situations. To be fair, though, it has been a long time since we’ve seen a physical altercation quite like this one. Most baseball “fights” are a bunch of guys jawing at each other as they gather around like a middle school production of West Side Story. I can’t help but think Posey had an idea that this was going to be ugly, though, and opted to stay out of it initially. As he said in his post-game interview, the potential for someone getting hurt was high. I do not fault him, or any other player, who makes that call when fists are flying over something dumb that their teammate did. Posey has already been under concussion protocol once this season and takes foul tips regularly. The last thing he needed was for a punch to land. Which just calls into question the selfishness of what Strickland did. He put his teammates at risk of injury, ejection, suspension or even fines, in the case of Hunter Pence, who was trying to get Strickland off the field and will now be fined for his trouble. If it were a heat of the moment reaction, I would agree that things happen, people lose their cool and do things they come to regret. This was not a heat of the moment reaction, though. As Grant pointed out in his recap, Strickland does not pitch to that location. Add to that the fact that he immediately squared up for a fight after he did it and this looks more like retaliation for something that happened three seasons ago. You know, during a postseason where the Giants went on to win the World Series, while the Nationals went on vacation. One of the most striking moments, for me, was the sight of Ryan Zimmerman pulling Harper off the field and into the clubhouse long before Strickland could be subdued by several of his teammates. Teammates that took hits along the way. Maybe it was the matching holiday uniforms that confused him, but the sight of one of our players fighting his own teammates, long after the guy he’s actually mad at is off the field, is not a good look. I’m sure this will be handled internally, if it hasn’t been already. Suspensions may come, and hot takes will be sure to follow. But I was not very proud to be a Giants fan during that dumb fight. Because I couldn’t defend Strickland’s actions.

Give me a bad record, give me bad defensive mistakes, give me a million runners left in scoring position, give me dumb luck - I can defend all of that and probably will throughout this season. But I can’t defend dumb retaliation for the sake of pride and a three-year-old grudge.