It seems clear, at least to major league umpires, that the Diamondbacks' rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers is alive and well.
Never mind that the teams are two years removed from the Dodgers' pool party in Chase Field after clinching the NL West title in Arizona in 2013.
Or that many of the principals are gone from the game in which Ian Kennedy hit Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke in June, 2012, with Greinke hitting Miguel Montero in between.
Or that it is even longer from the time that Clayton Kershaw hit Gerardo Parra in September, 2011.
The umps saw a bud and nipped it Monday.
Warnings were issued after pitchers from each team hit a batter in the first inning of the Dodgers' 7-4 victory at Camelback Ranch, and two more hit batters and four ejections -- all D-backs -- ensued.
"Was I surprised? No," said D-backs manager Chip Hale, one of those ejected. "Bill (Miller, umpire crew chief) was worried about the history of the two teams. He's a good umpire. I think he just didn't want anything to get out of hand. The one thing we don't ever know is what goes on between the ears. What is the intent?"
It all started when Dodgers minor league right-hander Chris Anderson hit Mark Trumbo of the top of the left hand four batters into the game. That is a particularly sensitive issue for the D-backs, who lost both A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt for extended periods last season when they suffered fractured hands after being hit by a pitch.
Daniel Hudson hit Dodgers first baseman Justin Turner in the last of the first inning, causing home plate umpire Tom Woodring to issue warnings to both benches.
So when D-backs reliever Allen Webster hit Turner leading off the fifth inning, he was ejected by rule. So was Hale, since the manager is automatically ejected if his pitcher hits a batter after a warning. Eitel was tossed, along with acting manager Glenn Sherlock, when Dillon Moyer was hit in the eighth.
"Hudson clearly said he was not trying to hit him, but it doesn't matter," Hale said. "The umpires cannot figure that out. They are not psychiatrists. They are not psychologists. They have to do what they have to do."
Hudson said he did not expect warnings to be issued in the first inning.
"Obviously being D-backs-Dodgers, no secret, there is a little bit of a history there the last couple of years," Hudson said. "I don't think anybody was trying to hit anybody today. It is spring training. Why would we try to hit somebody?"
Hudson wishes the whole thing would just go away.
"Geez, probably half the team is new since 2013, so it's not like a lot of guys were there for that whole thing," Hudson said. "Same with them. They have some new guys over there. I'm sure it will be water under the bridge at some point. It's going to take time before that doesn't get brought up any more."
The ejection was especially damaging for Webster, who is fighting for a rotation spot. He pitched to eight batters, hitting the first batter he faced in his second inning. The umpires conferred before Webster and Hale were ejected but said they could do nothing about it. Webster could not to throw more pitches in the bullpen because he had to leave the field.
"I was trying to go down-and-away and missed up-and-in," Webster said. "The umpires said they had no choice. They know I didn't do it on purpose, but the circumstances of the game made them make that call. It's part of the game. We have to go with it."
Hale said the D-backs would try to get Webster into a game sooner than originally scheduled so he can more work in.
The intent of the rule protecting hitters is a good one, Hale said.
"It's like a quarterback. They put in rules to protect a quarterback," he said. "You saw what happened last year with Pollock and Goldschmidt. You don't want those things to happen. You don't want superstars to not be able to play, so they are going to be very protective of that."
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