Miami Marlins miffed after David Peralta incident

Jose Fernandez was relieved to learn that Arizona’s David Peralta was none the worse for wear after hitting him in the helmet with a 97-mph fastball on Wednesday night.

Fernandez was able to speak with Peralta after the game.

But the frightening moment during the Marlins’ 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks remained a topic of conversation one day later, with manager Dan Jennings questioning whether Arizona took it a step too far when it retaliated by hitting Christian Yelich with a pitch.

“There are unwritten rules in the game that are adhered to,” Jennings said. “I didn’t like it because it [ticked] me off, because there was no intent for Jose to do it.”

There were two outs in the sixth when Fernandez let fly with an 0-2 fastball that struck the side of Peralta’s helmet, sending the batter to the ground.

Clearly distraught, Fernandez raised his hands to his hand and walked toward the plate to make sure Peralta, his friend, was OK. It was that action by Fernandez that riled the Diamondbacks, who felt the pitcher should have stayed near the mound.

Diamondbacks hitting coach Turner Ward was ejected for voicing his displeasure with Fernandez.

“I’m human. I care,” Fernandez said Thursday. “I’m not going to stand on the mound.”

 

Other Marlins were also miffed the Diamondbacks took exception to Fernandez’s show of compassion. Arizona reliever Domonic Leone struck Yelich in the hip with a pitch in the seventh and was ejected immediately.

“We didn’t hit their guy on purpose,” Yelich said. “Everybody knows that. I think they had a problem with [Fernandez] going to make sure he was OK, which I don’t really understand, because that’s a classy way to handle it. I mean, he’s buddies with the guy, so he’s not trying to hit him.”

The teams don’t play each other again this season. But that doesn’t mean the story is over.

“You know what, it won’t be forgotten,” Jennings said.

ALVAREZ STILL IN PAIN

There is an increasing likelihood that Henderson Alvarez, the Marlins’ Opening Day starter, will not pitch again this season.

Alvarez, who has been on the disabled list since May 23, is continuing to experience problems with his injured right shoulder and will undergo tests to decide what path to take with him.

“He had a recurrence of the shoulder,” Jennings said of Alvarez, who made a rehab start on Monday for Single A Jupiter.

“We’re trying to determine if it’s going to be best for a nonsurgical or surgical procedure regarding the shoulder.”

Alvarez, an All-Star last season, has battled shoulder injuries most of this season and has yet to post a win.

▪ Any other pitcher might have wilted under the pressure.

But when the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth on Wednesday, A.J. Ramos felt like he was right where he wanted to be.

“That’s when I got a little more adrenalin going,” Ramos said.

“As soon as the bases got loaded, I was kind of walking by the umpire and told him, ‘This is when I like to pitch.’ He kind of just looked at me in a weird way.”

In that situation, who wouldn’t?

But Ramos lived up to his bold words, striking out Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Yasmany Tomas to pull off one of the most intense escape acts in recent Marlins history.

“Not good for the manager’s heart, but exciting,” Jennings said.

Ramos said the dicier the situation, the better he feels.

“It kind of makes you, when your back’s against the wall, to see how good you are,” Ramos said. “There’s no where to put them, so go get ’em.”

▪ The Yankees are taking a look at both Mat Latos and Dan Haren as potential targets heading into the July 31 trade deadline. The Blue Jays, Orioles and Dodgers are also believed to have interest in the two pitchers.

Marlins reliever Steve Cishek is also receiving attention. The Cardinals and Dodgers are among a small handful of teams thought to be interested in Cishek.

COMING UP

▪ Friday: Marlins RHP Dan Haren (7-5, 3.46 ERA) at San Diego Padres RHP Andrew Cashner (3-10, 4.10), 10:10 p.m., Petco Park.

▪ Saturday: Marlins RHP David Phelps (4-6, 3.91) at Padres RHP Ian Kennedy (5-9, 4.78), 8:40p.m., Petco Park.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Miami Marlins miffed after David Peralta incident."