Cubs: MLB drops the hammer – but no punishment for the Brewers

Willson Contreras has been hit too many times to count already this year. In the last 14 matchups between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, the All-Star catcher has been plunked seven times.

After the latest one, Cubs pitcher Ryan Tepera uncorked a pitch behind his Milwaukee counterpart, Brandon Woodruff. Despite not actually hitting the Brewers pitcher, Major League Baseball deemed the pitch intentional and not only fined him but levied a three-game suspension against the Chicago reliever – which is is opting to appeal.

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He won’t be alone, either. MLB fined and suspended Cubs manager David Ross for one game, along with the club’s longtime game planner Mike Borzello also getting popped for a game. Neither can appeal the decision and will sit out on Friday’s series opener against the Braves at Wrigley.

Look – any time there are balls being thrown at players, it’s bad business. There’s no need for it – and poses obvious risks to the guy in the batter’s box. That being said, Contreras has been hit an inordinate amount of times by the Brewers – and it’s not hard to see why he and his teammates are fed up with it.

Cubs: No suspensions for the Brewers

Of course, Contreras got his revenge in the form of what proved to be a game-winning home run on Tuesday after his latest beaning.

"“It feels good to shut them up,” Contreras told MLB.com. “When they boo me, I don’t really care. But, don’t get sensitive when I do something like that. … Tonight, we sent a message. I think they picked the wrong guy to throw at. That was a message sent.”"

https://twitter.com/FanSided/status/1382159356121202689?s=20

Chicago might look like the door mat of the division right now, but there’s going to be plenty of drama between them and their neighbors to the north this season. And you can bet the league is going to be keeping a very close eye on how those contests play out.