RealGM

Jose Bautista knows the Baltimore Orioles were sending him a message. He just wonders what it was.

After the Toronto Blue Jays slugger was hit twice with pitches on Sunday, Major League Baseball sent the Orioles an unambiguous message on Monday. Pitcher Alfredo Simon was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount for drilling Bautista with a pitch after an umpire’s warning.

Oddly — at least to the Jays — MLB also fined Toronto pitcher Shaun Marcum US$750 for grazing Baltimore’s Luke Scott with a pitch. That incident came half an inning after Bautista was hit for the first time by Rick VandenHurk.

Only after Marcum’s pitch nipped the front of Scott’s jersey did plate umpire Bill Welke issue warnings to both teams. VandenHurk was not punished.

Bautista, baseball’s home-run leader with 52, said he is certain the Orioles hit him on purpose and wondered what they hoped to accomplish.

“What message can they be sending?” he asked during a media scrum Monday.

Perhaps, it was suggested, they want you to stop hitting all those homers.

“Make better pitches,” Bautista retorted.

“I’m not trying to get cocky or anything. I’m just trying to find answers for you [media] guys and I don’t know what their train of thought was.”

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter was also suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount.