Astros' Hector Neris Suspended 4 Games for Throwing at Eugenio Suarez's Head

Houston Astros pitcher Hector Neris has been suspended for throwing a ball at Eugenio Suarez's head during Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners.

MLB announced Neris will be suspended for four games. Astros manager Dusty Baker received a one-game ban and fine. Mariners manager Scott Servais, as well as Astros coaches Joe Espada, Omar López and Troy Snitker, also received fines.

The situation began in the top of the ninth inning when Neris hit Ty France with a pitch. The Mariners took exception to the incident, leading to both benches clearing.

Servais was ejected from the game, but Neris was allowed to stay in. Suarez, who came up to the plate three batters after France, was almost hit by a pitch in the head that wound up sailing to the backstop.

There was no escalation between the teams on the field after Neris' pitch.

After a brief deliberation among the umpires, Neris was ejected at that point. Bryan Abreu came in to finish the inning.

Julio Rodriguez hit a two-run homer after France was hit by a pitch to extend Seattle's lead to 7-4. Diego Castillo closed out the win for the Mariners, their second straight and fourth in the past five games.

Neris is one of the most valuable relievers on the Astros roster. He signed a two-year contract with the team in November after spending the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 32-year-old is tied for the MLB lead with 26 appearances. He has a 3.00 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 24 innings.

The Astros (35-20) lead the American League West by 8.5 games. They have the second-best record in the AL, behind the New York Yankees (39-15).