Twins Not About to Let It Slide

The Minnesota Twins stopped short of calling Benji Gil’s hard sixth-inning slide into second baseman Luis Rivas Thursday night a dirty play, but they clearly weren’t happy with Gil’s attempt to break up a double play during the Angels’ 5-4, 12-inning victory.

Asked if Gil “crossed the line” with his slide, which knocked Rivas out of the game, Twin Manager Tom Kelly said: “Absolutely. I’m not saying the guy did it on purpose, but it was a bad slide. Where [Gil] ended up . . . that was wrong.”

Gil slid so late Kelly said there “wasn’t a mark from the slide in front of the base at all.” Gil also appeared to thrust his knee up toward Rivas, who suffered a strained right knee and was listed Friday as day to day for Minnesota’s series in Texas.

“He’s played his full career up the middle; he knows slides like that can hurt someone,” Twin infield coach Ron Gardenhire said of Gil. “That’s what’s disappointing.”

Gil said he watched a replay of the slide 15-20 times and came away convinced there was nothing dirty about it.

“I play hard every day--I never want to hurt anybody, and I certainly don’t want to play dirty,” Gil said. “It was a slow roller, I got a good jump [off first] and he stayed behind the bag. I was trying to break up the double play and the only way to do that was to slide and land on the bag.”

Gil said he made a concerted effort to avoid hitting Rivas with his spikes. Replays showed the bottom of Gil’s spikes were facing the ground.

“I hope [Rivas] is all right,” Gil said. “I know [the Twins] probably didn’t think it was clean, but that’s the way it goes.”

Struggling shortstop David Eckstein was not in the starting lineup Friday night against Kansas City, breaking a string of 27 consecutive games he has started in the leadoff spot, but Manager Mike Scioscia said he will return tonight.

Eckstein has only two hits and no walks in his last 20 at-bats, his average slipping from .310 to .286 in four days. Eckstein likes to crowd the plate, but opposing pitchers have been busting him inside with hard fastballs, rendering him almost helpless.

“They’ve been doing a good job of hitting the inside corner,” Eckstein said. “This is something I’ve always dealt with and I need to make a little adjustment, step back from the plate a bit.”

More bad news from the Angel farm system: Steve Green, one of the organization’s top pitchers at triple-A Salt Lake, walked off the mound cursing and holding his right elbow after his 16th pitch in a game Friday night.

Green, who started one game for the Angels against Oakland on April 7, giving up two earned runs in six innings, is believed to have suffered ligament damage and is likely out for the season. Green, who is 6-1 with a 3.38 earned-run average, will travel to Southern California on Monday to be examined by Angel physician Lewis Yocum.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(4-3, 4.01 ERA)

vs.

ROYALS’

CHAD DURBIN

(3-3, 5.20 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net. Radio--KLAC (570),

XPRS (1090)

Update--Speedy outfielder Jeff DaVanon, who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake to replace Glenallen Hill on the Angels’ roster, was batting .335 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs, 13 doubles, seven triples and 31 runs in 45 games. But the switch-hitter has struggled of late, with one hit, one walk and 11 strikeouts in his last 16 triple-A at-bats. Schoeneweis overcame early control problems to limit the Devil Rays to one unearned run on four hits in seven innings of Monday’s 3-1 victory.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.