Benches clear: Astros start a fight with Julio Rodriguez for no good reason

Do I understand baseball brawls? No, I'm not one to diagnose them. However, you're stuck with me, and the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners charged at each other in the middle of a very important game in the Emerald City.

Julio is not one to create drama. If anything Rodriguez would prefer to get this Mariners team to the postseason with his bat, rather than his fists.

Houston manager Dusty Baker spent the majority of his postgame media session yesterday complaining about pitchers hitting his hitters intentionally. Yet, that did not occur here. Instead, Houston reliever Hector Neris charged after Rodriguez for reasons I cannot fully understand. As is the case with every basebrawl, there is history burried in this somewhere. We just need to find it.

Sure, take out your frustration on others. That's healthy!

Astros-Mariners brawl: What happened between Hector Neris and Julio Rodriguez?

Uh, nothing? Honestly, there is no history here, though Neris did hit Ty France last year. So, if you're looking for a jumping off point, there it is.

To be frank, when you chirp at one of the best hitters in baseball, you should expect what you get. Even should the Mariners not make the postseason, they will not go down without a fight -- literally.

Both Houston and Seattle are fighting for the AL Wild Card, and were within a half-game of each other prior to their game on Wednesday night. That's all going to change, one way or another. Seattle could either take the lead in that position, which would be seen as the ultimate failure for Astros fans. Houston could also take a large advantage, and seemingly control their own destiny for both the Wild Card and AL West title.

Seattle faces Texas next, so ironically the Astros will root for the Mariners in just a few days. Yes, that is how the playoff picture works.

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