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Nats, Giants brawl

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drilled in the hip by a heater, Bryce Harper knew where this was headed. In a hurry, too.

“You see red,” he said.

Enraged, the Washington slugger charged the mound, fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with reliever Hunter Strickland, setting off a wild brawl Monday during the Nationals’ 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

“You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can’t hesitate,” Harper said. “You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.”

The two players have a history between them stemming from the 2014 playoffs. This flashpoint came in the eighth inning — with two outs, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball.

Harper didn’t wait. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strick­land, yelled at him and took off.

“My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that,” he said.

No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. His eyes were wide as he flung his helmet — it wasn’t close to Strickland, it might’ve slipped — and they started swinging away.

The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied.

“I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess,” Harper said.

Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper.

Harper and Strickland were both ejected.

No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper attributes a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl.

In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases.

This was the first time they’d faced each other since then.

Strickland said he missed his spot.

ASTROS 16, TWINS 8

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Beltran homered and singled during an 11-run burst in the eighth inning against Minnesota’s beleaguered bullpen, and Houston overwhelmed the Twins in a matchup of AL division leaders.

PIRATES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning, lifting Pittsburgh over Arizona in a wild ending. McCutchen sent a 1-1 pitch from Archie Bradley (1-1) over the right field wall to cap off a back-and-forth ninth. It was the eighth homer this season for McCutchen, who was recently dropped to sixth in the batting order for the first time in his career.

INDIANS 5, ATHLETICS 3

CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Carrasco won his third straight decision and Edwin Encarnacion hit one of Cleveland’s three solo home runs.

WHITE SOX 5, RED SOX 4

CHICAGO (AP) — Boston lefty David Price had an uneven season debut while Melky Cabrera homered and drove in four runs, helping Chicago rally.

ORIOLES 3, YANKEES 2

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dylan Bundy allowed two runs over seven innings in another strong start at Camden Yards, and Baltimore beat New York to snap a seven-game losing streak.

DODGERS 5, CARDINALS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger and Logan Forsythe hit solo home runs, leading Rich Hill and Los Angeles over St. Louis for its fifth straight victory.

PADRES 5, CUBS 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam off Kyle Hendricks and San Diego handed Chicago its fourth straight loss.

MARINERS 6, ROCKIES 5

DENVER (AP) — Sam Gaviglio pitched into the sixth inning to get his first career victory, and Seattle used six relievers to beat Colorado.

METS 4, BREWERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Hours after the Mets ticketed him for the bullpen, rookie Robert Gsellman pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and had two RBIs to lead New York past Milwaukee.

Marlins 4, Phillies 1

MIAMI (AP) — Edinson Volquez pitched six innings to earn his first win of the year after seven losses, and the Miami Marlins forged their first two-game winning streak since April 23 by beating Philadelphia.

Tigers 10, Royals 7

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez each drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers came from behind to beat Kansas City.

TROUT ON DL

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has a torn ligament in his left thumb and might need surgery that could sideline him for eight weeks.

The Angels put the reigning AL MVP on the disabled list for the first time Monday for the first time in his career. The outfielder hurt himself a day earlier making a headfirst slide to steal second base in Miami.

At 25, Trout already is a two-time AL MVP. He is hitting .337 and has 16 home runs, second most in the majors.

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