Nationals starting pitcher Jason Marquis has dropped his appeal to the five-game suspension the league gave him for hitting Justin Upton with a pitch. The timing of his decision will allow him to serve the suspension without missing a start thanks to Washington's upcoming off-day. Marquis remained adamant that he was in the right and did not hit Upton on purpose or in retaliation of Jayson Werth getting plunked earlier in the game. "Obviously you always have to put the team first, and the way everybody's throwing the ball, I didn't want to mess that up for everybody," Marquis said. "That was really behind the decision, but I'm still adamant I'm not that type of pitcher. I didn't throw at anyone on purpose. But sometimes you've got to suck it up for the betterment of the team. I'll serve it and move on."