Angry enough to get ejected for the second time in his career a night earlier, Seattle pitching coach Bryan Price was a bit chagrined Tuesday.
“It wasn’t much of a beef,” he admitted. “There was a lot of frustration, and from the dugout some pitches looked like strikes.”
Price went at plate umpire Charlie Reliford, after rookie Travis Blackley had walked in the first Oakland run of what became the Athletics’ 14-5 victory.
And it wasn’t just the ball and strike calls that enraged Price.
“When Charlie took off his mask and started screaming at our pitcher, I went out,” Price said. “I’ve got to try to protect the kid.”
Blackley, 21, brought on the confrontation with two rookie mistakes. He couldn’t throw a strike with his fastball, and when borderline pitches were called against him, Blackley showed emotion on the mound.
“I’d already had the only mound visit we’re allowed that inning, so I couldn’t have a conversation with Travis. I couldn’t tell him to knock it off from the dugout,” Price said. “It upset me, and because I couldn’t go to the mound, I went to the plate. It was stupid.”
After reviewing the game on videotape, Price said, Reliford was right more often than wrong on the pitches in question.
Not long after the game, manager Bob Melvin was about to call Blackley into his office for a chat when the pitcher beat him to it.
“He came into my office and apologized for showing so much emotion out there,” Melvin said. “He’ll get another start.”
It has been a bit of a disappointment this summer, watching the best young pitchers in the Seattle system – Blackley, Clint Nageotte, Matt Thornton, Bobby Madritsch and George Sherrill – struggle at the major league level.
And it’s not that they haven’t won games.
“If I’m disappointed in any one thing, it’s the strikes or inability to throw them,” Price said. “I expected more control. Other than that, I have no complaints about any of these kids.
“They have the arms. They have the pitches. Some of it is nerves, and that’s natural for your first time in the big leagues. But starting games and going three, four innings, that hurts the bullpen and the team.
“You bring in a bunch of young pitchers, though, and that can happen,” Price said.
Melvin suggested some of the pitchers now in Tacoma will get their second chances in Seattle well before the regular season ends.
“Any pitcher who goes down can come right back up,” he said. “They’re not sent down as punishment. We gave them a taste of the majors, then gave them something to work on to get back here.”
Short hops: Paul Molitor returned from his Hall of Fame induction over the weekend and was clearly dazzled by the experience. He described Cooperstown, N.Y., as something out of Norman Rockwell and laughed at the men he joined in the Hall. “I was about ready to give my speech and someone tapped me on the shoulder,” Molitor said. “I turned around and it was Willie Mays. Wow.” … Closer Eddie Guardado began the night with 18 saves in 23 opportunities this season. The rest of the Seattle bullpen has one save – and 10 blown saves. … The 14 walks Seattle issued to Oakland hitters Monday night was one short of the team record, which was set on July 17, 1991 in Milwaukee.
By Larry LaRue, The News Tribune
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