Sam Holbrook explains why he ejected Kevin Gausman

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Orioles starter Kevin Gausman was ejected by home plate umpire Sam Holbrook in the second inning of Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox after hitting Xander Bogaerts with a breaking ball. Prior to the game, commissioner Rob Manfred and chief baseball officer Joe Torre were on a conference call with the managers and general managers of both teams to try and end the feud that dates back nearly two weeks ago.

Holbrook explained how that played into his decision to eject Gausman, who was obviously not trying to hit Bogaerts. Via Christopher Smith of Mass Live:

Just given the situation and the tension between the two clubs and all the stuff that’s gone over the past few weeks, we’re all on high alert with anything. I know that the ball was a curveball. But it hit him square in the back and just making a split decision at that point right there, there needs to be an end to this stuff, and I felt like an ejection was the right thing to do at that time, and that’s what we did. Thankfully, we didn’t have any more problems the rest of the game.

Gausman called Holbrook’s quick trigger “bush league.”

Just complete bush league, to be honest. To throw me out in that situation after what (Chris) Sale did yesterday, throwing 98 (mph) behind a guy, on purpose, everybody knew it. And you’re going to throw me out for hitting a guy on a curveball, no outs in the second inning. It’s pretty bush league.

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MLB homer leader Pete Alonso to IL with bone bruise, sprain in wrist

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Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
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PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.