As stakes rise, tempers flare

MINNEAPOLIS - In Tuesday night's series opener, White Sox relief pitcher Sergio Santos almost hit the Twins' J.J Hardy in the head with a pitch.

Hardy grounded the next pitch to second baseman Gordon Beckham, who threw home and nailed Demon Young trying to score.

But rather than slide or simply pull up, Young tried taking catcher A.J. Pierzynski's head off.

"It was play at the plate, things happen and you move on," Pierzynski said. "It was his only chance and he did what he thought he needed to do."

Pierzynski always seems to say the politically correct thing off the field, but he did yell at Young after the collision.

Tempers between the two AL Central rivals have been running high since last week, when Carlos Quentin hit a 2-run homer and was hit by pitches during his next two at-bats by Minnesota starter Glen Perkins.

There were no further incidents in Wednesday night's game at Target Field, although Twins closer Matt Capps did buzz Beckham in the ninth inning. Sox captain Paul Konerko wasn't really expecting anything.

"I think when you've got two teams playing hard, there's going to be a play here or there that raises an eyebrow," Konerko said. "Who knows? That could escalate into something, or it might not. I know a lot of guys on that team and I know guys in here. There's no premeditated thing going on like, 'Hey, we want to hurt somebody.'

"Things get heated, but bad blood to me is something that overflows outside the lines. I think you have a lot of competitiveness that gets real edgy, but it stays between the lines. I don't think it'll go beyond that unless somebody starts messing with somebody's career."

No relief in sight: Bobby Jenks was available to pitch Wednesday, and the White Sox are hoping the bullpen falls back in line.

Heading into the game, Sox relievers J.J. Putz and Matt Thornton combined to blow saves in three straight games, and the bullpen allowed 18 earned runs in 202/3 innings over the last 7 games.

"The bullpen is going to have a rollercoaster here and there," Thornton said. "You're going to have your ups and downs. We just hit a little rut. We've gotten used to winning those games and expect to win. Our bullpen has been able to lock things down pretty good. It's one of those things where you keep working hard and come to the park with a clear head and keep going after them."