Detroit Tigers News: Bruce Rondon’s beanball was stupid

Trade rumors rule the roost around baseball in late July, especially when your team is performing as poorly as the Detroit Tigers are. However, despite their poor performance, there are still the occasional bits of on-field performance to talk about. Mikie Mahtook deserves mention for his recent hot streak, and his baserunning gaffe from Tuesday also warranted some air time. Justin Upton is also having a great season that no one is talking about.

Then there are incidents like the one we saw on Wednesday. For reasons we’re still not clear on — in part because he didn’t speak to the media after the game — Rondon hit Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas in the thigh with a fastball after Eric Hosmer put his team up 14-2 in the ninth inning. Tempers flared, benches cleared, and Rondon was ejected from the game.

There is no place in the game for what Rondon did. I’m anti-beanball in any situation, but even the stuffiest of Old Baseball Men will struggle to find where the Royals violated baseball’s sacred unwritten rules on Wednesday. Even Rondon’s teammates were willing to throw him under the bus.

I’m not advocating for any sort of public discipline on Rondon’s part (other than a short suspension, perhaps). The team doesn’t need to release him, and I certainly hope this isolated incident doesn’t progress into a beanball war the next time these two teams play. But I certainly don’t want to see him or another Tigers pitcher do it again.

And to those who are upset at the Royals for leaving their starters in? This isn’t football. There’s no two-deep roster. Kansas City only has 11 position players on their active roster, and the only one who didn’t appear in Wednesday’s game was starting catcher Salvador Perez, who is nursing a rib injury.

Your daily J.D. Martinez update

That makes three homers for J.D. already in a Diamondbacks uniform.

The best of BYB not at BYB

Our writers have been busy!

• Ashley tried to negotiate with terrorists, a.k.a. Chicago Cubs fans, and determine an appropriate trade package for Justin Verlander.
• Ron wrote about Milwaukee Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson, who is having an excellent season. Nelson struck out 10 Washington Nationals in a stellar outing on Wednesday, but was undone by the Brewers’ awful bullpen.
• I got angry and recorded a podcast, which you should listen to.
• Kurt doesn’t want the Tigers to trade Michael Fulmer.
• Ashley discovered that the Tampa Bay Rays love to troll opposing managers.

Other Tigers stuff

Nick Castellanos might be breaking out again. Or, he was until he fell into an 0-for-20 slump. Daniel Norris received a cortisone shot in his groin, which, ow. Michael Fulmer has some words for Tigers management. So does Warwick Saupold.

Elsewhere in baseball

The Colorado Rockies found some bullpen help in Pat Neshek, who they acquired on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles are unlikely to trade uber-closer Zach Britton. The Seattle Mariners are the latest team to show interest in A’s starter Sonny Gray. The Twins and Dodgers argued about a lineup for a long dang time. Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford hit an inside-the-park grand slam.

Baseball is awesome