Benches clear twice, six ejected in LA

LOS ANGELES -- Tuesday night's game between the Dodgers and D-backs deteriorated into a beanbrawl in the sixth and seventh innings, as Ian Kennedy hit Yasiel Puig in the nose with a fastball, Zack Greinke retaliated by hitting Miguel Montero in the back with a pitch and Kennedy further retaliated by hitting Greinke in the shoulder with a pitch.

Both benches emptied when Greinke hit Montero, but no punches were thrown. When Greinke was hit by Kennedy's first pitch to him in the bottom of the seventh, however, the Dodgers erupted.

"If you're going to hit one of our guys, we're going to hit one of yours," said rookie catcher Tim Federowicz, whose three-run double in the eighth inning rallied the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory. "That's just the way the game is. But [Greinke getting hit near the head], that's where it gets a little out of hand. You can't do that. We'll see what happens the rest of the time we play these guys. It's going to be heated."

No more heated than Tuesday night. Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly and Arizona skipper Kirk Gibson got physically tangled, and Dodgers coach Mark McGwire went jaw to jaw with Gibson and D-backs coach Matt Williams.

But the real action occurred near the photo well next to the Arizona dugout, where Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario went after several players, and J.P. Howell smashed Arizona coach Turner Ward into the padded railing. Puig re-ignited the melee and had to be pulled from the scrum.

"I have no personal beef with any of those guys," Howell said. "It's just part of the gig."

Because of the warning issued after Greinke hit Montero, Kennedy and Gibson were ejected automatically because both benches had been warned. McGwire, Ward, Puig and Belisario were also ejected. When the Dodgers came out for the top of the eighth inning, Puig was replaced in right field by Alex Castellanos.

"I wanted to throw inside just kind of to send a message, but not to hit the guy and it just kind of got away from me a little bit," Kennedy said. "I was really just trying to go inside because I didn't think it was right what he did to Miggy."

Greinke is pitching with a metal plate in his collarbone, which was broken when he was charged by San Diego's Carlos Quentin after hitting him with a pitch April 11.

Schumaker was the most eloquent in explaining why the Dodgers were so fired up.

"I've never seen a pitcher throw at two different guys' heads before," he said. "It's dangerous. It's different if it's a beanball war. I've been a part of those before. I get it. It's part of the game. I like it. It gets guys going. It gets the fans fired up. I get all that. I love it. But when you start throwing at guys' heads, it's a different story."