BOSTON -- Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes has received a four-game suspension for throwing a pitch in the head area of Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, but the right-hander has elected to appeal and will be eligible for Tuesday's opener of a three-game series against the Yankees.
The discipline, which also included an undisclosed fine, was announced on Monday -- an off-day for the Red Sox.
It has been speculated that Barnes threw the pitch high and tight to Machado as retaliation for the third baseman making a hard slide into Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia on Friday night.
However, Pedroia told reporters multiple times over the weekend that he didn't feel Machado was trying to injure him. Pedroia suffered left knee and ankle soreness from the play and missed the final two games of a weekend series in Baltimore, and he remains day to day.
Immediately after Barnes threw the high, inside offering to Machado, Pedroia was captured clearly by television cameras telling the O's star that he played no part in the perceived "purpose pitch."
The Red Sox and Orioles will start a four-game series at Fenway Park on May 1.
Barnes has emerged into a key setup man for Boston, so his loss would hurt the Red Sox.