Pirates RHP Archer drops appeal, begins serving suspension

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Chris Archer dropped his appeal and began serving a five-game suspension Sunday for setting off a benches-clearing altercation on April 7.

The impact of Archer's suspension will be minimal. He ended his appeal a day after allowing one run in seven innings against Washington, getting a no-decision in Pittsburgh's loss. The Pirates have two days off this week, and Archer will make his next start April 21 against San Francisco.

He was suspended for throwing a fastball behind Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich, who had stood and watched a long home run in his previous at-bat. Archer was not among the five players ejected from the game.

"I don't think there's going to be a reduction in suspension games, so it's just time to move on," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Sunday.

Archer, who is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts, said he was told the reason for the suspension was that it instigated the benches to clear.

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"If the benches wouldn't have cleared, then it might be a different verdict," Archer said. "It's what they came up with. They're not going to budge, so there's no reason to delay."

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