Schoeneweis Is Target of A’s Angry Batters

Two weeks ago, it was the Baltimore Orioles who steamed at the Angels after getting hit by pitches three times in two games. Thursday night, it was the Oakland A’s who fumed at the Angels after getting hit by pitches five times--four by left-hander Scott Schoeneweis--in one game.

“I don’t like it,” Oakland outfielder Terrence Long said. “[Schoeneweis] made it too obvious. I mean, he hit the same guy, Frankie [Menechino], twice. I ain’t having that.”

Added A’s designated hitter Olmedo Saenz: “If you’re going to pitch inside, fine. But you can’t hit five guys in the big leagues.”

Menechino was hit both times in the foot by sinking fastballs that hooked far inside. Menechino and Schoeneweis exchanged angry words after the second time.

Schoeneweis hit Saenz and Jason Giambi in the shoulder with inside fastballs. Reliever Mike Holtz hit Eric Chavez in the arm with an inside fastball in the eighth inning.

“If I’m trying to hit a guy, I’m not going to hit him in the foot,” Schoeneweis said. “It’s called struggling a bit with your control, having to pitch inside and trying to do too much.”

The A’s struck back in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, Oakland reliever Mark Guthrie’s first pitch hit Scott Spiezio in the elbow.

“That was my fault--I know,” Schoeneweis said. “That’s the only thing that upset me, that I put one of my teammates in jeopardy.”

Spiezio had no hard feelings, toward Schoeneweis or the A’s.

“I have no problem with that--I knew it was coming,” Spiezio said. “They probably said whoever is up with two outs gets hit, and I was the one who was unfortunate enough to be up in that situation.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia had no proof the A’s threw intentionally at Spiezio, but if they did, “There’s no place in the game for that,” Scioscia said. “We pitch aggressively inside, but we’re not a beanball club.”

Then again, an eye for an eye is a long-standing tradition in baseball, one the Angels adhere to, despite the proclamations of their manager.

“This has been part of the game for a long time, but in the last five years, people have complained about it,” Spiezio said. “I don’t see anything wrong with it, as long as it’s from the elbow down. I don’t like it when a pitcher is getting crushed and throws at a guy because he’s upset.

“But [Thursday] night, we hit five of their guys. To get back, they hit me. That’s what you’ve got to do. We would have done the same thing.”

Catcher Bengie Molina, sidelined since May 5 because of a strained right hamstring, showed Angel coaches and trainers enough during a Friday afternoon running workout that he will begin a rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga today.

Molina will catch five innings today, take Sunday off, catch six or seven innings Monday, take Tuesday off, and catch full games Wednesday and Thursday before joining the Angels for next Friday’s interleague series against the Dodgers at Edison Field.

The Angels sent pitcher Scot Shields to triple-A Salt Lake and recalled catcher Jamie Burke from Salt Lake.