Tensions flare again after Alvarez is hit

The Astros and Rangers have had their share of benches-clearing incidents, most famously in last year’s American League Championship Series.

Everyone stayed in their respective dugouts in the Rangers’ 12-8 win Friday night at Minute Maid

Park, but tensions still ran high enough that Astros slugger Kyle Tucker yelled at the pitcher and aggressively flipped his bat after homering in what was a nine-run game at the time.

Tucker showed his frustration after coming to bat in the seventh inning immediately after Yordan Alvarez had been hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. The first hit by pitch clearly was unintentional as Rangers starter Dane Dunning spiked a curveball that bounced before it caught Alvarez in the thigh. Alvarez getting hit again in the seventh raised more eyebrows as reliever Brock Burke threw four straight fastballs inside with the third one nearly hitting Alvarez and the fourth plunking him in the elbow. Alvarez appeared upset, but took his base.

The first pitch Tucker saw from Burke, he smashed it into the second deck in right field and yelled something at the pitcher before throwing his bat toward the dugout.

“It was just a little reaction to it,” Tucker said. “I didn’t really appreciate the at-bat before and how it went.”

Joe Espada didn’t want to speculate on Burke’s intentions behind the inside pitches, but the Astros manager made it clear they weren’t wellreceived in the home dugout.

“We did not like that,” he said.

Burke, who was left off the Rangers’ ALCS and World Series rosters last year after posting a 4.37 ERA in the regular season, now has given up five earned runs in five appearances this season. All five runs have come against the Astros with them scoring four times off him after the Alvarez plunking Friday and him facing just three batters in the Astros’ 10-5 win Monday. All three batters that night delivered hits: An Alvarez double, Tucker single and Alex Bregman double.

Like Espada, Tucker didn’t try to guess what Burke was thinking in that situation, but his instant reaction on the field seemed to tell the story.

“We didn’t really appreciate it whether it was an accident or not,” Tucker said. “I mean, missing four times in and almost hitting him twice and then hitting him. Not really a good look. We didn’t really appreciate that, which I don’t think anyone would.”

Tucker said his reaction had nothing to do with the teams’ history, which includes last year’s Game 5 altercation in the ALCS after Astros reliever Bryan Abreu was ejected for hitting Adolis García with a pitch, but more to do with just the one Alvarez at-bat.

“No, it was just that (at-bat),” Tucker said.

“Any time a guy gets four pitches in on him and almost hitting him a couple times and then actually hitting him, I’m sure any team wouldn’t really appreciate that.”

Tucker’s home run sparked a bit of a rally with the Astros scoring five times in the inning to the cut the deficit to 12-8, but Espada didn’t attribute the runs to any extra adrenaline as a result of the hit by pitch.

“Our team doesn’t need an energy boost, but we just did not like the way that went there,” Espada said.

Burke’s difficult outing will be his last for the time being. The Rangers placed the 27-year-old lefty on the injured list with a broken non-throwing hand Saturday after he punched a wall after Friday night’s game.