Castellanos, Harper rip Rays' Uceta after HBP clears benches

The Philadelphia Phillies were unimpressed with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Edwin Uceta for hitting Nick Castellanos with a pitch.

Uceta drilled Castellanos in the side with a fastball during an eighth inning in which he allowed three earned runs. The two exchanged words, which led to both benches clearing and Uceta being ejected.

"I just told him that was bullshit," Castellanos said when asked about the interaction, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

"You're throwing a baseball over 90 mph, and you're frustrated, and you're gonna throw at somebody? That's like my 2-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he's finished."

Teammate Bryce Harper offered an equally blunt assessment.

"He hit him on purpose," he said. "It's not the game that we play, it shouldn't be, guys throw too hard nowadays. You're getting mad because a guy hits a homer off you or you blow the lead. Walk the guy and come out of the game. I mean, what are you gonna do? The whole thing really fired me up, really upset me. Just not something that you should accept as Major League Baseball."

Uceta said after the game he was "just trying to locate this pitch" and did not hit Castellanos on purpose, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

The Phillies ultimately won the contest 9-4.

Harper went 4-for-5 with three doubles, while Castellanos went hitless in the dominant victory.