Marlins, Giants exchange HBPs; Straily ejected

SAN FRANCISCO -- After Buster Posey was struck by a Dan Straily fastball, a couple of quick ejections underscored the Giants' 6-3 win over the Marlins at AT&T Park on Tuesday night.
Straily and Miami manager Don Mattingly were tossed by home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher in a tense second inning that included two batters hit by first-pitch fastballs.
Posey was the second hit batter in the game, as Giants starter Dereck Rodríguez hit Lewis Brinson in the top half of the same frame. That followed a heated exchange between Brinson and Giants reliever Hunter Strickland on Monday night.
"I just lost a fastball in," Straily said. "[I'm] trying to throw a fastball in and get him off the plate. Obviously, Andy thought it was on purpose, and so he got me out of there."

Straily plunked Posey, who homered in the first inning, with a 91.3 mph fastball, creating some tensions on the field, but nothing escalated. Because warnings had already been issued after the first hit batsman, both Straily and Mattingly were tossed.
"I was surprised there were warnings, especially after our guy gets hit," Mattingly said. "I was talking about you're going to give a warning there, you usually give a warning after two guys have been hit. One guy gets hit, another guy gets hit and then there's the warnings. I think everybody knows if you give one warning after one guy then you're asking for trouble like out of the blue."
Rookie Elieser Hernández replaced Straily, who worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing four runs.
Warnings had been issued in the top of the second when Rodriguez plunked Brinson with a 91.9 mph fastball.

"We're just trying to make a pitch inside," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He got extended on us yesterday. Dereck did a nice job getting us out of that inning, working through some trouble and getting us through five."
At that point, Fletcher warned both benches, and Mattingly exchanged words with the umpires.
Another side story developed during the game when the Giants television announcers suggested Mattingly was overheard commenting in the direction of Posey, "You're next."
Mattingly and Posey both said that was incorrect.
"I know, I heard it when I came in those guys were saying I said something about 'You're next,'" Mattingly said. "I would not say that."

Posey also downplayed the report.
"As you guys know, I wouldn't talk about that, but no, he didn't," Posey said.
Asked if he felt he was drilled in retaliation for Brinson, Posey said: 'I don't know. It sure seemed that way."

Frustrations had brewed since Monday night, when the Marlins rallied for three runs in the ninth inning off Strickland to claim a 5-4 win. In that inning, Brinson had the game-tying single and flipped his bat afterward.
When Strickland was replaced later in the inning, he stared at Brinson, who was on third base. The first pitch of the Brinson-Strickland at-bat was a brushback fastball.
"Last time we faced them, he threw me inside and was working me inside," Brinson said. "I don't think [it was on purpose]. No, I don't think so."
Brinson said he was surprised warnings were issued.
"Right there, yeah," Brinson said. "But the umpire is just doing his job. He's got to protect everybody and make sure everybody is safe out there. I'm a little surprised, but like I said, the umpire is just doing his job."
Going back to last week when the teams played in Miami, Brinson had a game-tying sacrifice fly in the ninth inning off Strickland.
Also during the series at Marlins Park, Straily threw a pitch that broke the hand of Giants third baseman Evan Longoria.
"Well, my response I guess would be, 'Were they throwing at Longoria?" Bochy said. "Tommy [Kelby Tomlinson] got hit in the back last night. That's my response. Were they throwing at him? Those are things you don't know."