Former Orioles All-Star Pitcher Ejected in Tense Pirates-Nats Exchange

After the two benches partly cleared, home plate umpire Ron Kulpa decided to skip a warning and outright eject Lopez for the previous hit-by-pitch coupled with the near-headshot to McCutchen.

During the melee, Pirates star Oneil Cruz was seen holding back Tommy Pham, who was ready to up the ante after his teammate was nearly hit in the face.

McCutchen and Lopez have history, however. Last September, McCutchen hit a game-winning home run off of Lopez while the Cubs were in the middle of a playoff chase. 

The errant pitch came after Mitch Keller hit Paul DeJong in the face with a pitch Tuesday, causing DeJong to hit the injured list.

The Pirates used the tense exchange as fuel for the rest of the game, with Cruz hitting a grand slam immediately after McCutchen's at-bat. The Pirates scored five runs in that seventh inning en route to a 6-1 win. 

"I apologize for everything," López said after the loss. "I didn't make any pitch (on purpose) right there. ... I tried to do my adjustment. I've been trying to find my way with my delivery, I tried to find my way through the whole season. And it's really miserable that happened. I regret what just happened."

It's the latest in a recently rocky stretch for Lopez and his conduct.