A look at what’s happening around the majors on Monday:
BOXED OUT
Major League Baseball is looking into the circumstances that led to Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo being ejected from a luxury box in Atlanta for yelling at umpires.
Rizzo was tossed in the seventh inning Sunday. Veteran crew chief Joe West said he told the commissioner’s office on Friday that Rizzo had been hollering at the umps earlier in the Nationals-Braves series.
”I wouldn’t take that from a player. I wouldn’t take that from a manager,” West told The Associated Press. ”If it was Donald Trump, I’d eject him, too. But I’d still vote for him.”
MLB said it had started an inquiry.
”We have already been in communication with the Nationals regarding what transpired during today’s game, and we will speak with the umpiring crew today,” MLB said in a statement. ”We will expect Joe West’s crew to provide a full account of their perspective, and we will follow up with them accordingly.”
FOND FAREWELL
The Cardinals are mourning the loss of Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock, who died at 81. The speedy outfielder held the major league records for stolen bases in a season and a career until Rickey Henderson reset them.
”Lou Brock was one of the most revered members of the St. Louis Cardinals organization and one of the very best to ever wear the Birds on the Bat,” owner William O. DeWitt Jr. said.
Brock died less than a week after Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver’s death at 75.
During their stellar careers, Brock and Seaver faced each other 157 times — the most prolific batter/pitcher matchups for either star. Brock hit .250 against Seaver, with 10 doubles, one home run and 21 strikeouts.
SANCHEZ BENCHED
Slumping catcher Gary Sanchez has been temporarily benched by the New York Yankees.
Sanchez is mired in a 3-for-28 funk that’s dropped his batting average to .130. He didn’t play Sunday as the Yankees lost for the 13th time in 18 games, 5-1 to Baltimore, and might not be back in action for a while.
”I kind of deliberated on it a lot last night and just feel this is the way I need to go right now,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game. ”Hopefully a day off or two or however I decide to do it here can help get him going.”
Boone discussed the move with Sanchez, who would have preferred to work his way out of the slump while on the field. Sanchez, whose defensive skills have often been criticized, has seven home runs and 15 RBIs. He hit 34 homers last year.
NOT PHILLING WELL
The Phillies have put outfielders Jay Bruce and Roman Quinn on the injured list, leaving the roster in a bind ahead of a busy period. Bruce re-aggravated a quadriceps injury and Quinn was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list.
The Phillies begin a stretch Tuesday that includes five doubleheaders in 15 days.
Philadelphia has only four primary outfielders on the active roster – Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Adam Haseley and Kyle Garlick – and the team is trying to limit McCutchen’s outfield reps after he tore the ACL in his left knee last year. The club could get Scott Kingery off the injured list this week.
CHECK HIM
The White Sox will see how pitcher Dallas Keuchel is feeling, a day after he exited his start in Kansas City because of lower back stiffness.
Keuchel (6-2, 2.19 ERA) threw five scoreless innings, then was pulled after tossing a few warmup pitches before the sixth. He was listed as day-to-day.
In his first season with Chicago, the former Cy Young Award winner has won his last four decisions.
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