McClendon ejected for first time as Mariners' skipper

HOUSTON -- Lloyd McClendon received his first ejection as Mariners manager in the seventh inning Saturday, then watched on TV from his office inside the visiting clubhouse at Minute Maid Park as his club proceeded to score eight runs in that inning en route to a 9-8 victory over the Astros.

McClendon was ejected by home-plate umpire James Hoye after complaining from the dugout that the Astros were being given extra time to warm up reliever Jose Cisnero after starter Dallas Keuchel had walked the bases loaded with no outs.

After Astros manager Bo Porter made a visit to check on Keuchel and returned to his dugout, Houston catcher Jason Castro headed out to the mound to talk to the suddenly struggling southpaw as well. That tactic didn't sit well with McClendon.

"I just told him the manager told the catcher to go talk to the pitcher," McClendon said. "I said he'd been out there once and obviously he was trying to get more time. That could be construed as a trip to the mound. I said it's in the rule book and he threw me out."

Once he got tossed, McClendon raced to home plate and went nose-to-nose with Hoye before being escorted off the field by crew chief Bob Davidson.

The Mariners then proceeded to put up eight runs before the Astros could get out of the inning. McClendon didn't think his ejection sparked the offensive eruption, but he was glad to see it as all the scoring was needed when Houston nearly overcame a 9-2 deficit with a late rally of its own.

"I don't know if I did it, but our bats certainly came alive," McClendon said. "The guys swung the bats pretty good."

It was McClendon's first ejection since taking over the Mariners this year, but he was tossed 18 times while managing the Pirates from 2001-05 and also got the hook five times as a player or coach.