Knight Gets Three-Game Suspension

Cincinnati Manager Ray Knight’s dirt-kicking, base-throwing outburst has earned him the first suspension for a major league manager in two years. Knight will sit out three games for vehemently arguing with umpire Jerry Layne and then kicking dirt on third base, uprooting it and flinging it down in Saturday’s 6-2 loss to San Diego.

Knight also received an undisclosed fine Tuesday from National League president Len Coleman. Knight is the first manager suspended since September 1995, when the Reds’ Davey Johnson and Houston’s Terry Collins got two games apiece for a series of brawls between their teams.

Also Tuesday, the Reds put right-hander Jeff Brantley on the 15-day disabled list because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. Brantley’s roster spot wasn’t expected to be filled until the weekend.

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The Florida Marlins activated left-hander Al Leiter from the disabled list, and he’ll start today against the New York Mets. Leiter has been sidelined since April 30 because of a bruised bone in his left knee. He’s 3-2 with a 5.12 ERA in six starts. . . St. Louis Cardinals reliever Lance Painter went back on the 15-day disabled list after re-injuring the right hamstring that sidelined him at the start of the season. . . Pitcher Bobby Munoz has refused a minor-league assignment by the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming a free agent. . . . Cub shortstop Shawon Dunston had to leave the game against Philadelphia in the fifth inning because of a slight strain in his left hamstring. His status is day-to-day. . . . Phillie pitcher Mike Grace, on the disabled list since March 26 because of a strained right triceps, was scheduled to throw on the side Friday. Grace could begin an injury rehabilitation assignment next week. . . . Expo left-hander Rheal Cormier will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow today.