MLB: Mariners get into clubhouse brawl

A rough day for the Seattle Mariners that began with a clubhouse brawl ended in rugged fashion, too.

Long after Mariners shortstop Jean Segura and second baseman Dee Gordon apparently tangled, Baltimore rookie Renato Nunez and the Orioles rallied late for a 5-3 win Tuesday night.

The scuffle broke out four hours before the game at Safeco Field. Several players got involved, with catcher Mike Zunino among those trying to break it up.

Moments after Gordon politely asked reporters to leave the locker room, the double doors burst open with players shoving and shouting.

Most of the Seattle players weren’t around after the game to talk about the incident.

“Whatever happens in here, stays in here,” Seattle star Robinson Cano said. “It didn’t affect anyone in here. We let it go. We’re good. Everyone is good. We left that behind.”

“We’ve been playing hard,” he said. “It’s a long season. Everyone here gives everything they’ve got.”

Cano had three hits, including a home run.

Seattle was 46-25 on June 16 and 11 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the wild-card standings. The Mariners are now 77-62 and five games behind the A’s in the chase for the second AL wild-card spot.

“With how our season has gone, the frustration mounts,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said shortly after the altercation. “Along the way, there are bumps in the road.”

The Orioles had 15 hits and scored all five runs in the final three innings to end a four-game losing streak. Nunez had three hits, including a home run to start a four-run seventh.

Mariners starter Wade LeBlanc pitched six shutout innings, but the Orioles got five hits off three relievers in the seventh to take a 4-1 lead.

Alex Cobb (5-15) gave up a homer to Cano in the first before shutting out the Mariners for the next five innings. Mychal Givens earned his sixth save.

Seattle rallied for two runs in the eighth after loading the bases on two hits and a walk, but Chris Hermann struck out to end the inning with runners at first and second.

LeBlanc had thrown only 68 pitches when Servais elected to go to the bullpen in the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead.

“I thought Wade threw the ball really well,” Servais said. “They had some guys coming up, I thought, had swung the bat really well against him. Six scoreless innings is what you’re hoping for and go to the bullpen after that. Just didn’t get it done there in the seventh.”

After Nunez’s homer off Adam Warren (2-2), Jonathan Villar had a RBI single off Zach Duke, Breyvic Valera scored on a grounder and Trey Mancini had an RBI double against Nick Vincent.

For the Mariners, Servais said before the game, it was time to move on.

“Things happen in a clubhouse,” he said. “Our guys are working through it and talking through it. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. Usually there a root problem and you have to dig in there and find out where that’s at and build back relationships from there.”

“It happens a lot more than you know. Almost every year you see it. Sometimes brings teams together,” he said. “Things reach a boiling point and you have to get it off your chest. You have very competitive people that all want to win. They spent basically every waking moment together. I’ve been on a number of different teams. It’s something you will see at some point.”

White Sox say fan hit by foul back home with broken nose

A 32-year-old Chicago man whose nose was broken by a foul ball during a White Sox game was back home Wednesday, the team said a day after he was struck at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The White Sox said the fan was released from the hospital and recovering.

The man was injured in the ninth inning Tuesday night in a game between Chicago and Detroit. He was seated in the first row on the first base side, well beyond the netting that extends to the end of the camera box past the dugout, when a line drive by the Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario hit him in the face.

The man bled profusely and was treated at his seat for several minutes as play was stopped. He later walked to the first-aid station and was taken to Rush University Medical Center.

“Balls are flying out of here at high rates of velocity,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Wednesday. “I think he tried to catch it. It’s kind of tough, even for a professional, with the way the ball flies.”

“I’m glad to hear that he’s doing fine and recovering,” he said.

General Manager Rizzo indicates manager Martinez will be back in 2019

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo indicated during a session with reporters Wednesday that first-year manager Dave Martinez will return next season.

“I haven’t considered any other scenario,” Rizzo responded when asked if Martinez would be back.

The Nationals, expected to contend for a third straight NL East title, entered Wednesday with a 69-70 record, 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the East and eight games back in the wildcard.

In addition to injuries players including Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Sean Doolittle, Martinez’ work has come under scrutiny.

“I think Davey’s doing a great job in managing this team,” Rizzo said. “He’s managed them through a lot of trials and tribulations that a lot of first-year managers haven’t had to go through, and to have a team playing with the exuberance and energy level that they’re playing at at this point I think is a testament to Davey and the staff and the way that they feel about him in the clubhouse.”