Straily appeals suspension for Posey HBP

Marlins right-hander Dan Straily and manager Don Mattingly were slapped with suspensions by Major League Baseball on Thursday for their involvement Tuesday in Giants catcher Buster Posey being hit by a pitch after warnings were issued.
Straily received a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Posey in the Giants' 6-3 win over the Marlins at AT&T Park. The right-hander also was fined an undisclosed amount. Mattingly was suspended one game.
Straily is appealing the suspension. The right-hander's next scheduled start is on Monday against the D-backs at Marlins Park.
After reviewing the incident, MLB determined that Straily exhibited intent when plunking Posey on his left arm during the second inning, the same frame in which warnings were issued by home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher. Straily and Mattingly were both ejected after Posey was hit by the pitch. Postgame, Straily claimed he "just lost a fastball in" trying to force Posey off the plate.
"Obviously, Andy thought it was on purpose, and so he got me out of there," Straily said.
Also in the second inning on Tuesday, Giants right-hander Dereck Rodríguez struck Miami center fielder Lewis Brinson with a fastball, prompting the warnings.
When Posey was asked if he thought he was hit in retaliation for Brinson, he responded, "It sure seemed that way."

The Marlins and Giants concluded their three-game series on Wednesday, with the Giants prevailing, 6-5. Before Wednesday's game, Mattingly said he didn't think there would be any carryover from the previous game. Nothing materialized.
"In the course of a series or a game or a season, you are going to protect your guys," Mattingly said pregame Wednesday. "We're going to play baseball. I know it's fun to talk about. When stuff happens out there, it gets taken care of on the field, usually, and you move on."
The series in San Francisco came a week after the two clubs played four times at Marlins Park. In that series, Giants third baseman Evan Longoria suffered a broken hand after being hit by a Straily pitch.
On Monday, tensions rose in the ninth inning when Giants reliever Hunter Strickland stared at Brinson during a pitching change. The Marlins rallied for three runs in the ninth inning off Strickland to claim a 5-4 win. Brinson delivered the game-tying single off Strickland, and flipped his bat heading to first. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Strickland ran a fastball up on Brinson.
Strickland was replaced in the ninth inning after surrendering the lead, and walking off the mound, he stared at Brinson.

A week earlier in Miami, Brinson lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly off Strickland in the ninth inning. The Giants ended up winning that 16-inning contest, 6-3.
The Giants took two of three this week in San Francisco, and the Marlins won four of seven in the intensely played season series.