Brewers' Will Smith suspended 8 games for foreign substance on forearm

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Will Smith was suspended eight games Friday by Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his non-throwing arm Thursday night against the Atlanta Braves.

Smith's suspension had been scheduled to start Friday night, but he has elected to appeal. He's hoping to get a reduction since he's a reliever. A starter would miss just two starts with the same offense.

After the game, Smith regretted not wiping the substance off before entering the game.

"It was chilly and kind of windy," Smith said. "I had rosin and sunscreen on my arm. I just forgot to wipe it off before I went out and pitched. I had to kind of get ready in a hurry. I just forgot. That's it."

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he had no choice but to alert the umpires to check on the shiny substance.

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"It was about as plain as it could be," Gonzalez said. "It's pretty blatant. Really. It's glistening through the lights."

Smith, 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings, was tossed in the seventh inning by crew chief Jim Joyce in Thursday's 10-1 loss.

"He offered his arm," Joyce told a pool reporter. "I touched it and immediately knew it was a foreign substance. Unfortunately for him, he has to be ejected."

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that it's common for pitchers to use a sticky substance to help get a better grip in the ball, especially in cool conditions.

"It's very common. It goes on on the other side, I guarantee you. It's the rule. I think pitchers are using it but I guess you've got to be discreet about it."

New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda was suspended 10 games last year for using pine-tar while pitching. Pineda didn't appeal the suspension.