Umpire Bumps Rockies’ Hurdle

Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo chest-bumped Colorado Manager Clint Hurdle after walking up the first-base line, where he confronted Rockies reliever Ray King in the ninth inning of Colorado’s 16-9 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday at Denver.

Both King and Hurdle were ejected by Randazzo, who met King about 40 feet from home plate after the left-hander was pulled in favor of Jose Mesa with one out.

King, angered that he wasn’t getting the high strike, took offense to Randazzo’s walking up the line and said something that got him tossed.

King said Randazzo also made contact with him, although that couldn’t be verified through replay because the game wasn’t televised or taped.

Randazzo clearly bumped Hurdle, however, when Hurdle yelled at him over King’s ejection. Hurdle pointed to the crowd as if to say he had thousands of witnesses, then angrily motioned at Randazzo with both hands in a bring-it-on gesture.

There was no further contact, however, as Mesa got the final two outs in a game that featured 11 pitchers, 16 walks and 364 pitches, 155 of which were balls.

Randazzo didn’t comment afterward.

Hurdle declined to discuss his run-in with Randazzo, saying, “What happens on the field stays on the field.”

Not according to King, who criticized Randazzo for a “mystery strike zone.”

“This guy, Tony Randazzo, behind the plate today was totally out of line,” King said. “Like I told [crew chief] Joe West, this guy’s walking up the line. He shouldn’t have walked up the line. He gets right up in your face hoping I’d agitate him.”

Yorvit Torrealba hit a grand slam and had one of Colorado’s major league record-tying five sacrifice flies.

Cincinnati 7, St. Louis 4 -- Rich Aurilia matched career highs with four hits and five runs batted in, helping the Reds not only beat the Cardinals but also pull into a tie for first place in the NL Central with them.

The Reds stretched their winning streak to a season-best seven games while completing a three-game sweep. St. Louis ended a 3-6 homestand.

San Diego 6, Milwaukee 5 -- Adrian Gonzalez and Vinny Castilla hit consecutive home runs in the eighth inning to lift the Padres at Milwaukee.

Milwaukee had scored three times in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead. The bat of the Brewers’ Prince Fielder flew out of his hands in the first inning and struck a young girl in the head. The girl, sitting in the first row behind Milwaukee’s dugout on the first-base side, walked out of the stadium along with medical personnel.

Philadelphia 7, Arizona 3 -- Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Sal Fasano homered at Phoenix to help the Phillies complete a three-game sweep.

Fasano tied a career high with four hits and fell a triple shy of a cycle. Ryan Madson (6-3) went a season-long 7 2/3 innings for his third victory in four starts.

Florida 8, San Francisco 1 -- Rookie Dan Uggla homered twice and drove in five runs, Joe Borchard added a two-run shot and the Marlins avoided a three-game sweep at San Francisco.

Dontrelle Willis (3-6), back home in the Bay Area, pitched a six-hitter to win his second straight start after a six-game losing streak.

Houston 1, Chicago 0 -- Chris Sampson pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in his first major league start in leading the Astros at Houston.

Brad Ausmus homered for Houston.

Washington 5, Atlanta 2 -- Marlon Anderson hit a two-run homer and Ramon Ortiz (5-4) won his fifth straight start to help the Nationals earn their second series win over the Braves in six years.

Atlanta completed a 2-8 homestand.