Strickland suspended 6 games, Harper 4 for brawl

SAN FRANCISCO >> Giants reliever Hunter Strickland received a sixgame suspension Tuesday and Washington’s Bryce Harper was penalized four games for their roles in a benches-clearing brawl at AT&T Park a day earlier.

Each also was fined an undisclosed amount, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. MLB said both players planned to appeal, so the suspensions weren’t to begin with Tuesday night’s game between the clubs. Baseball Senior Vice President Joe Garagiola Jr. typically hears player appeals.

Strickland hit Harper in the hip with a pitch in the eighth inning and the Washington slugger charged the mound, wildly firing his helmet and trading punches to the head with Strickland during the Nationals’ 3-0 win Monday over San Francisco.

MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre’s explanation of the disciplinary decisions said that Strickland had intentionally hit “Harper with a pitch, inciting the bench-clearing incident and fighting” while Harper’s suspension came “for charging the mound, throwing his helmet and fighting.” DODGERS 9, CARDINALS 4 >> Chase Utley, Logan Forsythe and Chris Taylor combined to reach base 11 times and totaled six runs, helping streaking Los Angeles rally past St. Louis.

Utley finished a homer shy of the cycle as the Dodgers won their season-high sixth straight game. Forsythe reached five times, including three walks, and Taylor reached three times. INDIANS 9, ATHLETICS 4 >> Trevor Bauer struck out an AL-best 14 in seven innings, leading Cleveland to the win.

Bauer’s career-best strikeout total was one shy of this season’s major league-high of 15 by Washington’s Stephen Strasburg against San Diego on Saturday. YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 3 >> Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday each homered twice, Aaron Judge drove in two runs and the Yankees received a solid pitching performance from Luis Severino.

Gardner set the tone for the AL East leaders by connecting on the third pitch from Chris Tillman (1-2), who had not allowed a home run in his previous four starts this season. DIAMONDBACKS 3, PIRATES 0>> Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray pitched a four-hitter in his first career complete game.

Ray (5-3) struck out 10, walked none and threw 115 pitches. The left-hander set a career high by winning his third straight start and has pitched 23.2 scoreless innings during that run, all on the road, while also beating the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. ROYALS 1, TIGERS 0 >> Eric Skoglund pitched 6.1 innings of two-hit ball in his major league debut, helping the Royals beat Justin Verlander and the Tigers.

Skoglund, a 2014 third-round draft pick out of Central Florida, struck out five and walked one. The left-hander was promoted from Triple-A Omaha when the Royals placed Danny Duffy on the disabled list Monday with an oblique strain. MARINERS 10, ROCKIES 4>> Kyle Seager homered and drove in four runs for Seattle, and Robinson Cano also connected. Jean Segura had four hits and Ariel Miranda (5-2) pitched five solid innings to help the Mariners sweep two games in Denver.