Gardenhire backs Diamond's old-school approach
Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire supported Scott Diamond's decision to send a message to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 23, even if it did result in an early ejection from plate umpire Wally Bell and a six-game suspension from Major League Baseball.
"Old-school baseball: Your pitchers will protect your hitters," Gardenhire said.
Diamond was able to start Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners because he appealed the suspension, handed down Aug. 24 because he threw a pitch behind the head of Texas Josh Hamilton in the third inning of the Twins' loss to the Rangers the previous night. A half-inning before the Diamond-Hamilton incident, Texas starter Roy Oswalt hit Joe Mauer in the nameplate on a 3-0 pitch.
Bell never issued a warning, but he immediately ejected Diamond for throwing too close to Hamilton's head.
"They didn't do anything with the first (hit by pitch), and our guy (Mauer) got hit in the neck, and that was my whole case," Gardenhire said Tuesday. "The umpire, Wally, didn't think they threw at my guy. I mean, he really didn't think much of it, so I thought that was an issue."
With major league rosters expanding Saturday, Diamond's suspension, if upheld, won't sting so much. Gardenhire said he was considering a six-man rotation, anyway, and the Twins are trying to limit innings for Diamond, who entered Tuesday with 165 innings pitched between the Twins and Class AAA Rochester, just more than the 158 2/3 he pitched in Atlanta's farm system in 2010.
Besides, Gardenhire liked Diamond's intention.
"If somebody's knocking your guys down, then there's going to be a few balls inside to knock the other guys down," he said. "His intention was probably to buzz someone inside and let 'em know that's not going to happen, and he just let it fly. He didn't intend to throw it there; he meant to come inside, and he threw it way up there."
Diamond's reprieve from his suspension wasn't exactly beneficial Tuesday. He allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings during the Twins' 5-2 loss to the Mariners.
