TWINS-ATHLETICS Benches clear in rivalry

The teams exchanged hit batsmen and heated words.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Tim Hudson said he wasn't retaliating when he hit Bobby Kielty with one errant pitch in an otherwise pinpoint performance.
The Minnesota Twins didn't believe Hudson -- and nobody believes this episode is over yet.
Hudson allowed five hits in eight innings as the Oakland Athletics beat the Twins 4-1 Tuesday night in a testy rematch of last season's division series.
The benches cleared twice during the first game of the season in this budding rivalry. The teams first rushed the field in the fifth inning after Rick Reed hit Ramon Hernandez with a pitch.
Retaliation?
Everybody ran out again in the sixth when Hudson hit Kielty. A few minutes earlier, both benches were warned against retaliation -- but plate umpire Doug Eddings didn't eject anyone, believing Hudson wasn't trying to hit Kielty.
The Twins weren't buying it.
"The only question I have is when you throw out warnings and a guy gets hit, he should be tossed," Reed said. "We have a guy [Brad Radke] serving a five-game suspension for doing the same thing. After the playoffs last year, there's a little bit of a rivalry. We enjoy coming in here and playing them."
No punches were thrown in the two incidents, but there was a palpable anger in both clubhouses.
For the A's, it stems from last season's playoffs, when Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski angered them during Minnesota's clinching Game 5 victory at the Coliseum.
For the Twins, it's a reaction to Oakland's animosity -- and a newfound anger from Hudson's pitch, which didn't result in his ejection.
"It was retaliation," Kielty claimed. "It's part of the game, really."
"There's no way I was trying to hit him," said Hudson, who struck out five and didn't walk a batter. "That's ridiculous."
Getting the job done
Hudson (4-1) was among the A's who attached special significance to this series, and he pitched accordingly while winning for just the second time since April 16. He allowed just one runner to reach third base, and he retired his final seven hitters.
The game was quiet until Reed hit Hernandez, who nearly reached first base before turning and exchanging words with Reed while moving toward the mound. The benches and bullpens emptied, but the teams exchanged no more than shoves.
With two outs and a runner on second base in the sixth, Hudson hit Kielty in the buttocks with a 2-1 pitch. As with Reed and Hernandez, the pitch didn't seem intentional -- but that didn't stop both teams from crowding the field again.