Scioscia, Watson Reach ‘Understanding’

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said he and Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president for on-field operations, reached an “understanding” Friday, but the two still don’t seem to be in agreement on discipline for bean balls and brush-back pitches.

Watson met Friday with Scioscia and Texas Manager Buck Showalter in hopes of heading off further hostilities between teams that combined for five hit batters, eight ejections and one bench-clearing brawl in a two-game series Aug. 15-16.

Scioscia contends that had Rangers pitcher Adam Eaton been suspended immediately for throwing a pitch behind Juan Rivera’s back -- one pitch after Garret Anderson’s three-run home run -- on Aug. 6, Texas right-hander Vicente Padilla wouldn’t have had “free rein” to throw at Vladimir Guerrero and Rivera on Aug. 15.

The Angels retaliated by hitting two Rangers in the eighth inning on Aug. 16. Texas reliever Scott Feldman hit Adam Kennedy in the ninth, and Kennedy charged the mound.

Watson said Eaton’s immediate ejection in the first inning on Aug. 6, which forced the Rangers to exhaust their bullpen, was punishment enough.

“If a ball is up around the head and it’s flagrant, that’s a suspendable offense,” Watson said. “Mike didn’t feel the ejection and fine were sufficient. The way the rules are written, that was appropriate.”

Scioscia wouldn’t reveal specifics of his meeting with Watson, which lasted about 20 minutes, but said, “Any time you get a chance to communicate, it will lead to understanding.”

Watson traveled to Arlington “just to have a presence,” he said. “I wanted to be here when these teams played again, after the extracurricular activities that happened the last time they met.”

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An MRI test on Kelvim Escobar’s left knee Friday revealed no structural damage, and the Angels right-hander, who was pulled Thursday after four innings and diagnosed with patellar tendinitis, remained confident he would make his next start Wednesday in Kansas City.

“I have to calm it down, get a lot of treatment and do some different exercises,” said Escobar, who has pitched all season with a sore knee. “But I’ve only got three starts left. I’m going to do whatever I can to pitch my game.”

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Watson, who also serves as the Team USA general manager, recently returned from Cuba, where a team that included Angels prospects Brandon Wood and Nick Adenhart won an Olympic qualifying tournament, defeating Cuba in the final.

Of Wood, the power-hitting shortstop, Watson said, “Everyone talks about his offense, but his defense is well above average. He has good range and a plus arm.”

Of Adenhart, a 20-year-old right-hander, Watson said, “He throws an easy 95 mph. He needs to work on command of his off-speed pitches, but he has a bright future if he stays healthy.”

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A fan who poured a beer on Angels coach Orlando Mercado in the bullpen Thursday night was cited for simple assault and issued a criminal trespass warning, which states he can’t come to Ameriquest Field for a year.