Umpire ejects Astros manager, hitting coach on consecutive pitches

April 4 (UPI) -- Two pitches meant consecutive ejections for manager A.J. Hinch and hitting coach Alex Cintron during the Houston Astros' loss to the Texas Rangers.

Hinch and Cintron were booted one pitch apart during the second inning of the 4-0 setback to the Rangers on Wednesday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Astros designated hitter Tyler White was at the plate during the sequence.

Rangers starter Mike Minor began the frame by striking out Carlos Correa. The left-handed pitcher then forced first baseman Yuli Gurriel to pop out to shortstop Elvis Andrus. White settled in and took a knuckle-curve for a called first strike. The 81.1 mph offering skimmed the bottom of the strike zone according to plate umpire Ron Kulpa.

The Astros dugout loudly disagreed with the call. Hinch walked out to the field after Kulpa looked toward the Astros' dugout.

"Don't look over here," Hinch told Kulpa. "There's nothing for you to see. Look out there. Look right there."

Cintron was still complaining about the call and was thrown out of the game.

Minor threw a 93.8-mph fastball for another strike on his next offering, which went a little higher in the strike zone over the middle of the plate. Hinch was ejected following the called strike. He emerged once more and had an argument with Kulpa before being pulled away from the exchange.

Kulpa could be seen mouthing "I can do whatever I want" during his argument with Hinch. White ended up hitting a line drive double to left field on the fourth pitch of his exchange with Minor. Max Stassi popped out in the next at-bat to end the inning.

Joe Espada served as the Astros' acting manager for the remainder of the contest.

"We obviously had a disagreement with the strike zone early in both the top of the first and the bottom of the first," Hinch told reporters. "Our dugout will always be involved. Cintron got thrown out. I didn't know what happened, which is why I went out the first time. The next couple pitches later, I'm out of the game."

"We know when you argue balls and strikes it's one thing, when you get ejected more aggressively, it's disappointing."

Hinch said things "could have been handled differently."