twins/mlb
La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts. Mark Rosen borrows him occasionally for WCCO-TV.
Postgame: Waldrop returns, and about those message pitches
Posted by: La Velle E. Neal III Updated: August 24, 2012 - 12:30 AM
The Twins have made a roster move.
The Twins, after Thursday’s game, optioned outfielder Matt Carson to Class AAA Rochester.
ABOUT THOSE MESSAGE PITCHES
If Scott Diamond doesn't throw at Josh Hamilton's head, no one gets ejected.
The Twins had every right to implement street justice in the third inning after Roy Oswalt hit Joe Mauer above his No. 7 with a 3-0 pitch. A 3-0 pitch! How does that get away from a command pitcher like Oswalt?
Oswalt's quotes after the game were entertaining.
"For some reason, I can’t keep the ball true on the left side," he said. "He’s been beating me away, away, away. I was trying to get him out in and just dropped my elbow. I don’t know the reason why the ball is coming back on the left side of the plate. I can keep it true on the right side. The left side I can’t really keep it true and I dropped my elbow and it kind of sailed on me."
(Reporter's observation: Nothing sailed on Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit, Denard Span or Ben Revere.)
Back to Diamond. His pitch to Hamilton can't be around his head. If he hits Hamilton on the thigh, I bet that Bell issues warnings and not ejections. Diamond wasn't trying to hurt Hamilton, but he sure was sticking up for Mauer.
"That's what the umpires are there for, to monitor all that and just be the guardian over the game," Diamond said. "It's a little frustrating to get the hook that quick but it kind of got away from me."
Doesn't matter. Mauer probably is buying Diamond his favorite beverage tonight.
ADVERTISEMENT
more twins blogs
-
6-4-3
Postgame: Ortiz feels right at home in Target Field
Former Twins slugger now batting .471 in his old team's new ballpark
-
StribSports Upload
Boom! That's a walk-off grand slam for Twins' No. 1 pick Buxton + video
Byron Buxton, the Twins' No. 1 pick in last year's amateur draft, hit a...
-
TwinsCentric
TwinsCentric: Offense is looking to its heart
The Nos. 3 and 4 hitters need to shoulder the load for the Twins.
Post By Category
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2013 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters