TUCSON, Ariz.-
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle walked toward the mound and shouted at San Diego’s Doug Brocail on Tuesday after the reliever hit a Colorado batter with a pitch for the second time in four days.
Hurdle was later ejected along with Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis after the left-hander threw behind Kevin Kouzmanoff in a testy game that ended in a 5-5 tie after 10 innings.
Todd Helton hit a three-run homer off Padres starter David Wells in the first.
When Brocail hit All-Star Matt Holliday on the hand with a fourth-inning pitch, Hurdle came out of the dugout and yelled at Brocail before players and umpires stepped between the two.
No punches were thrown, and the sides were quickly separated.
“I have a torn nail. I can’t throw a breaking ball today. Here is Matty smacking all my hard stuff away, so I went and climbed the ladder and got him (unintentionally),” Brocail said. “The next thing you hear, somebody is popping off: ‘If you can’t throw strikes then get off the mound.'”
Brocail said he didn’t know who was shouting at him, although it was Hurdle who made his way toward the mound. Holliday went directly to first base after shaking his hand.
“I said something to Clint,” Brocail said. “It was more along the lines, ‘Do you honestly believe I am throwing at him?’ He said, ‘No, Doug.'”
Hurdle might not have been so angry if Brocail hadn’t plunked Troy Tulowitzki on Saturday, bruising the young shortstop’s wrist. Tulowitzki originally feared it might be broken.
“It is unfortunate because I hit the kid the other day,” Brocail said. “I looked at Matt and asked if he was all right. He said, ‘Yeah.’ That is it.”
Tulowitzki missed two games before returning to the lineup Tuesday.
“Doug in no way was intentionally throwing at (Holliday),” San Diego manager Bud Black said.
With a runner on and two outs in the next inning, Francis threw behind Kouzmanoff for a wild pitch. Francis and Hurdle were immediately ejected.
Hurdle had no comment afterward, and Holliday had little to say.
“There is nothing there. It was other people,” Holliday explained.
Wells pitched three innings, giving up three runs and four hits.
“I felt great, really great. I had better command than the last time out,” he said. “I threw a backup cutter to Todd and anybody is going to hit that ball out. In the second and third innings I felt great. The ball came out of my hand pretty good. I am almost there.”
Francis went 4 2-3 innings, allowing five runs and seven hits. He walked two and struck out three.
He had trouble in the first, giving up four runs on five straight hits, including a two-run double by Khalil Greene and an RBI double by Kouzmanoff.
Josh Bard went 2-for-4 for San Diego, and Manny Alexander hit a solo homer.
Helton finished 2-for-3, and Willy Taveras went 2-for-3 with a run for Colorado.
