They’re Taking Issue With Radke’s Control

MINNEAPOLIS —  Angel right fielder Tim Salmon raved about Minnesota ace Brad Radke’s “impeccable control,” and the statistics support him: Radke has only 19 walks in 186 innings this season. So how would Radke explain a fastball that sailed about a foot behind Benji Gil’s back in the second inning Friday night?

“It just slipped,” Radke said.

Yeah, and Angel closer Troy Percival doesn’t throw hard. The Angels thought Radke’s pitch was payback for Gil’s hard slide into second base that injured Twin infielder Luis Rivas’ knee at Edison Field on May 31.

Gil, attempting to break up a double play, slid late and flipped Rivas into the air, knocking him out of the game and Minnesota’s next series. The Twins stopped short of calling the slide dirty, but Manager Tom Kelly said it “crossed the line.”

To Gil, Radke’s pitch didn’t close the feud; it merely extended it.

“Payback will come the next time I get to first base,” Gil said. “Their point was to let me know they didn’t appreciate the way I slid, but to be honest with you, I didn’t get the message, because I’m still going to slide hard. That’s my job as a baserunner, to break up a double play.”

*

The Angels have had enough of Radke, but not because of his pitch to Gil. Radke gave up one run on seven hits in 72/3 innings of the Twins’ 4-1 victory Friday and now has a career record of 11-4 with a 1.66 earned-run average against the Angels.

“He’s definitely one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball,” Salmon said. “He throws a cutter, sinker, changeup and slider, all with great control. There are guys with nastier stuff, but I’d rather face them because they make mistakes you can hit. Radke is pinpoint with everything.”

*

Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn will probably see some familiar faces when he looks into the Metrodome crowd today. The Twins and a supermarket sponsor donated 2,000 tickets for today’s game to residents of Burnett County, Wis., particularly the towns of Siren and Webster, which were hit hard by a tornado earlier this summer.

A pregame ceremony will be held in which members of the communities, including Washburn, who lettered in four sports at Webster High, will be recognized.

*

Pitcher Pat Rapp, who suffered a bruised forearm when he was hit by a line drive in Kansas City Wednesday, played catch Saturday, but the Angels won’t know if he’ll be able to make next Saturday’s start until later this week.

TODAY

ANGELS’ RAMON ORTIZ (11-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. TWINS’ RICK REED (2-3, 6.75 ERA)

Metrodome, Minneapolis, 11 a.m. PDT Radio: KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update: Darin Erstad, who was moved into the leadoff role Saturday night, snapped an 0-for-16 skid with an RBI double in the fifth inning against the Twins. Ortiz will attempt to rebound from one of his worst performances of the season, when he gave up eight runs on nine hits in 61/3 innings of a 10-4 loss to Kansas City Tuesday night.