AL: Guillen-ump war resumes in A's win

OAKLAND, Calif. - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and umpire Hunter Wendelstedt insist there's no grudge between them.

Yet after all the crazy plays, unlikely stars and general strangeness of the Athletics' 2-1 victory over Chicago on Wednesday, Guillen's latest confrontation with Wendelstedt still was the talk of both locker rooms.

Wendelstedt ejected Guillen for arguing in the ninth inning after ruling that Chicago's Joe Crede made no effort to avoid getting hit by Justin Duchscherer's pitch with two runners and two outs in a 1-1 game. After Crede popped up on the next pitch, he also was tossed by Wendelstedt.

The umpire and the manager have a history. Guillen was hit with consecutive two-game suspensions in August after a confrontation with Wendelstedt, the first for arguing a call in a game against Cleveland, the second for calling Wendelstedt a liar because of remarks in the umpire's report on the incident.

Their disagreement in Oakland didn't decide the game, won by Marco Scutaro's single in the ninth. But the White Sox still were scratching their heads over Wendelstedt's judgment call, while the A's were thrilled to see an umpire make such a ruling.

"It can go either way," Guillen said. "There's no place to win. It was the same (umpire) last year ... and (this time) he said (Crede) stuck his arm into the ball. Maybe I just need to stay here a long time to earn respect. He said he thought he leaned in. But I have respect for them."

Guillen has been ejected three times in his managing career, two by Wendelstedt.

In the umpires' locker room, Wendelstedt cited the rulebook case study for his call, and crew chief Bruce Froemming supported him.

"There's no carryover whatsoever (from last season)," Froemming said. "I respect Ozzie Guillen and his players, but if they get out of line, just like anyone else, that's what we're here for.

"Hunter made a great call. Crede leaned into the ball and tried to get hit by the ball. He leaned his shoulder into it. It's a judgment call for Hunter, and he made a great call."

The A's wrapped up the victory moments after the ejections when Erubiel Durazo, who had three hits, scored on Scutaro's shot down the leftfield line off Dustin Hermanson. Durazo, who also homered for the A's, led off the ninth with a lazy fly off Damaso Marte, but Aaron Rowand lost it in the sun.

ANGELS 5, YANKEES 1: Los Angeles prevented Alex Rodriguez from batting with too many runners on and flashed some power of its own.

Steve Finley and Garret Anderson homered off struggling Mike Mussina, and the visiting Angels held A-Rod to a solo home run.

A night after Rodriguez had three homers off Bartolo Colon and 10 RBIs in all, Jarrod Washburn and his bullpen allowed him up to come up with just two baserunners. Rodriguez grounded out leading off the second, homered in the fourth, hit a hard single off the glove of third baseman Dallas McPherson with a runner on second in the sixth, then struck out against Scot Shields with a man on in the eighth and threw his bat.

Getting a decision for the first time in five starts, Washburn allowed nine hits in 72/3 innings and prevented New York from getting its first three-game winning streak.

TWINS 9, ROYALS 4: Joe Mays pitched six solid innings for his first win since Tommy John surgery in 2003, and Jason Bartlett drove in three for visiting Minnesota. Matthew LeCroy hit a two-run homer in support of Mays.

RANGERS 8, MARINERS 2: Plant City's Kenny Rogers allowed two singles over six shutout innings and finally got some run support for his first win of the season for host Texas.

TIGERS 10, INDIANS 3: Craig Monroe hit a two-run homer to highlight a six-run third and Jeremy Bonderman pitched eight effective innings for visiting Detroit.

ORIOLES AT RED SOX, PPD.: No makeup date was announced for the rainout.

[Last modified April 28, 2005, 01:19:11]