Orioles’ Davis will sit 25 games
Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis was suspended 25 games without pay on Friday following a positive test for an amphetamine, a punishment that will extend into the postseason and perhaps 2015.
“I made a mistake by taking Adderall,” Davis, a former Spokane Indians player, said in a statement. “I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately.”
Adderall is a drug often used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, and 119 TUEs were issued for 40-man roster players in the year ending with the 2013 postseason. It is, however, also known as a performance and cognitive enhancer.
Baltimore has 15 games remaining in the regular season. Because a team can’t make roster changes in the middle of a postseason series except to replace injured players, Davis likely would be inactive through the league championship series.
Pitchers punished; Stanton better
Marlins pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was suspended for three games and Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers was fined for their actions after Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton got hit in the face by a pitch from Fiers.
DeSclafani’s suspension and an undisclosed fine were for intentionally throwing a pitch at Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez with a warning in place Thursday.
Stanton suffered multiple facial fractures, dental damage and cuts that needed stitches after being struck.
Fiers hit Reed Johnson on a hand with his next pitch, and that triggered a benches-clearing shouting match.
Stanton said Friday he’s feeling “much better.”
Gonzales will start Sunday for Cards
The Cardinals have pushed back struggling Michael Wacha and plan to start rookie lefty Marco Gonzales instead on Sunday.
Gonzales was a first-round draft pick out of Gonzaga in 2013, a year after Wacha was taken 19th overall. Gonzales is 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA but in his last two starts has permitted two runs in 102/3 innings.