ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves' pitching staff has been hit hard lately, just not the way one might imagine.
The Braves placed pitching coach Roger McDowell on administrative leave Friday while they investigate allegations that he made homophobic comments and crude gestures toward fans before a game in San Francisco last Saturday.
And on Thursday, righthanded starter Derek Lowe was arrested for driving under the influence.
Gaints fan Justin Quinn was watching batting practice in the stands at AT&T Park with his wife and 9-year-old twin daughters when he noticed former Mets reliever McDowell hectoring three men with derogatory remarks about their sexuality. After the coach made crude sexual gestures with his hips and a bat, Quinn said he shouted, "Hey, there are kids out here!"
According to Quinn, McDowell said kids don't belong at a baseball park, picked up a bat, walked up to Quinn and asked him, "How much are your teeth worth?"
Some parents who were in the stands with their children began to boo McDowell and came down to retrieve their kids. Quinn said McDowell eventually walked away.
"I am deeply sorry that I responded to the heckling fans in San Francisco," McDowell said in a statement, his only public comment on the matter. "I apologize to everyone for my actions."
Lowe, 37, was charged with drunken driving in Atlanta.
A spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol said a trooper stopped Lowe's vehicle about 10 p.m. Thursday. He was charged with DUI, reckless driving and improper lane change, Wright said. Lowe declined to take a breath test before he was released. The Braves were off Thursday after returning from a West Coast road trip. -- AP
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