Ejected Will Smith: Forgot to remove rosin, sunscreen combination

— -- ATLANTA -- Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Will Smith was ejected for having a substance on his right forearm in the seventh inning Thursday night against the Atlanta Braves.

Smith told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he had a mixture of rosin and sunscreen on his arm while he was warming up and forgot to remove it before relieving starter Matt Garza.

With the bases loaded and one out and Atlanta leading 2-1, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez emerged from the dugout and asked the umpires to check whether Smith had pine tar on his arm.

After all four umpires gathered around Gonzalez, crew chief Jim Joyce walked to the mound, touched Smith's arm and tossed the reliever from the game. Television cameras showed a shiny substance that was visible on Smith's forearm.

Gonzalez argued that Smith was breaking the rules after the left-hander threw a pitch that bounced in front of the plate and hit pinch hitter Pedro Ciriaco, the only batter he faced, in the leg.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell and his team believe that pitchers often find ways to maintain their grip and that batters want pitchers having that control, according to the Journal Sentinel.

"It goes on, on the other side, I guarantee you," Counsell told the newspaper.

The Braves would score seven runs in the seventh inning en route to a 10-1 win.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.