Arenado questions length of suspension: 'I was just defending myself'

Nolan Arenado believes the punishment received for his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl Wednesday is too harsh.

The Colorado Rockies star third baseman was issued a five-game suspension for charging the mound and swinging at Luis Perdomo after the San Diego Padres right-hander threw a pitch behind him.

"I figured it would be somewhere around there, but I think it's a lot," Arenado said, according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. "It is what it is. Five games is a lot of games. I was just defending myself. They throw hard out there and reactions happen."

Perdomo, who has also been suspended five games, insisted he was not intentionally trying to hit Arenado.

"It got away from me," he said, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I wasn't trying to hit him."

Arenado plans to appeal the decision and will play Friday night.