Arizona Diamondbacks: Ian Kennedy Drops Suspension Appeal

Ian Kennedy will go through with the 10-game suspension given to him after the brawl against the Los Angeles Dodgers, even if he is against it.

Steve Gilbert, beat writer for the Arizona Diamondbacks on MLB.com, reports on Twitter that the starting pitcher has decided to drop the appeal.

Kennedy told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Central about his thoughts on the suspension.

"“The guys in the past, with their first offense, have gotten around a five-game suspension, five or six,” he said. “I don’t understand why mine would be any different, why mine would be 10 when some people’s second offense was even less.”That’s why Kennedy says he intends to go through with his appeal of the suspension he received from Major League Baseball on Friday morning. Kennedy’s suspension was the harshest given to a pitcher since 2005."

[Also see: MLB Suspends Eight in Dodgers/Diamondbacks Brawl]

Asking for the appeal may have been just a way to help buy time for the Diamondbacks to afford losing Kennedy. With the suspension beginning now, Arizona has a couple of days off that they could afford a four-man rotation. Nothing official has been given nor has any transactions been made yet.

Kennedy is 3-4 this season with a 5.21 ERA. He’s suffered three straight losses, the worst coming against the St. Louis Cardinals back on June 6th when he gave up 13 hits and 10 earned runs in four innings.