BOSTON - Matt Barnes dropped the appeal on his four-game suspension for throwing a pitch near Manny Machado’s head on Sunday, so the Red Sox will be without him through Saturday.
The suspension hurts because the Sox cannot replace Barnes on the roster, shortening their bullpen for some big games. They play two against the Yankees and two more against the Cubs before Barnes can return.
“At this time of the year, yeah [this is a good test], we’re coming in with three very good teams coming into Fenway,” manager John Farrell said, referencing the Orioles’ visit to Fenway next week as well. “We do a very good job of not creating added emphasis on any opponent. Every opponent we play is critically important on that night. But, we recognize where these teams are coming in ahead of us or in other divisions that are playing very well.
“We like where we’re at in this spot, and that is to take on the challenge that’s in front of us. I think we’ve come off a road trip where we’ve been challenged in a couple of ways. We’ve played well here at Fenway in the early going.”
The choice to drop the appeal may be a deference to the nature of the incident. Pitches thrown in the area of the head are about as dangerous as any action that can happen on a baseball field, intentionally thrown to that spot or not.