Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Chris Archer plans to appeal his five-game suspension for sparking a bench-clearing incident with the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, manager Clint Hurdle told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Due to the timing of his appeal, Archer will be able to make his next scheduled start on Saturday in Washington.
"It doesn't matter. It is what it is," Hurdle said when asked for his thoughts on Archer's suspension, according to Brink.
Archer ignited Sunday's fracas when he threw behind Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich two innings after Dietrich homered off him. Both benches quickly cleared and the incident led to multiple ejections on both sides, though Archer remained on the mound afterward.
The pitcher later denied having intentionally thrown at Dietrich, insisting he merely missed his spot.
In addition to Archer's five-game ban, Major League Baseball also handed Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig a two-game suspension for his role in the melee, while Reds manager David Bell was suspended one game. Puig chose not to appeal his punishment.
