Giants place Morse on concussion DL after collision in brawl

The San Francisco Giants are paying a heavy price for Monday's brawl with the Washington Nationals.

Prior to Tuesday's game, San Francisco placed first baseman Michael Morse on the seven-day concussion disabled list, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle - just one day after Morse was involved in a violent collision with teammate Jeff Samardzija during the bench-clearing fracas with the Nationals.

The brawl started when Giants reliever Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper with a pitch in the eighth inning, prompting Harper to charge the mound and throw his helmet at Strickland. As Harper and Strickland traded punches, Morse charged into the fray - only to run directly into Samardzija, a former wide receiver at Notre Dame; the resulting collision saw the teammates' heads collide as both fell away from the fighting fray.

While the Giants now have to play on without Morse, a critical member of their bench, the 35-year-old's concussion may have inadvertently helped the Nationals keep their superstar on the field and healthy. Harper spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon, shortly after his four-game suspension (that he chose to appeal) was announced, and thanked his former teammate for knocking heads with the charging Samardzija and saving him from a potential injury.

Harper: Morse-Samardzija collision in brawl saved me from injury

Samardzija, for his part, survived the collision with Morse intact, and took the mound for his scheduled start Tuesday night.

Utility man Kelby Tomlinson was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to fill Morse's roster spot.