Aug 16, 2018 4 min read

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena has been suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves with a pitch.

Major League Baseball announced the penalties Thursday, a day after Urena hit Acuna on the left arm with his first pitch in the Marlins’ 5-2 loss in Atlanta. The 20-year-old Acuna went into the game having homered in five straight games, including four homers in the three games against Miami – three of them leading off.

The 25-year-old Urena, from the Dominican Republic, is 3-12 with a 4.74 ERA in 24 starts. Unless appealed, the suspension is scheduled to begin Friday at Washington.

Also, Braves first base coach Eric Young was suspended one game and fined.

Acuna was back in the lineup for the Braves on Thursday night against Colorado. The training staff signed off on Acuna returning after a CT scan on his elbow was normal. X-rays also were negative.

Puig suspended: Los Angeles outfielder Yasiel Puig has been suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed fine for fighting and inciting a bench-clearing incident against San Francisco.

Major League Baseball announced the sanctions Thursday, two days after the Cuban player took a swing at Giants catch Nick Hundley in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 2-1 home loss. Hundley also was fined.

Barring an appeal, Puig is scheduled to begin the suspension Friday at Seattle.

The fracas started when Puig swatted his bat in frustration after fouling off a pitch from Tony Watson, and Hundley said something to the slugger while still in his crouch. Puig turned around and walked toward Hundley, the catcher stood up, and they argued face to face before Puig shoved Hundley twice.

That brought players out of the benches and bullpens. Puig and Hundley were momentarily separated, but Puig ducked around teammates, coaches and manager Dave Roberts before reaching back to hit Hundley. He smacked Hundley with an open hand across the front of his catcher’s mask.

Tampa Bay 3, N.Y. Yankees 1: Rookie left-hander Adam Kolarek pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays over New York 3-1 Thursday to win their first series at Yankee Stadium since 2014.

Tampa Bay had lost 12 straight series in the Bronx, a record since the ballpark opened in 2009.

The Rays’ bullpen mostly cruised following Blake Snell’s five sharp innings until Sergio Romo allowed consecutive singles to Didi Gregorius and Gleyber Torres in the ninth – Torres’ bloop ended his 0-for-17 skid. Romo walked Neil Walker on four pitches, then was replaced by Kolarek, a side-arming lefty.

Lefty-hitting Greg Bird popped out in foul territory on Kolarek’s first pitch, and then Brett Gardner struck out.

Kolarek then got Austin Romine to chase a high fastball for another strikeout, ending his first career save.

N.Y. Mets 24, Philadelphia 4: Jose Bautista hit a grand slam and had a career-high seven RBIs and the New York Mets set a franchise record for runs, forcing the Phillies to use two position players for the final three innings of a 24-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday.

Corey Oswalt (2-2) allowed four solo homers in six innings, Amed Rosario hit a leadoff homer and had three RBI and the Mets took advantage of four errors to score 11 unearned runs.

The Mets have scored more than 15 runs in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. They beat Baltimore 16-5 Wednesday night.

Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro went deep for the Phillies, who entered two games behind Atlanta in the NL East.